A violent thunderstorm struck Fountain Hill and other parts of the Lehigh Valley as the Thursday morning rush hour was taking place, leaving downed trees, wires and other damage in its wake.
The storm arrived around 8:30 a.m., shortly after the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Lehigh and Northampton counties, as many drivers were on the road headed to work or school.
The 8:23 a.m. alert noted that penny-sized hail and 60 mph wind gusts had already been observed and that “damage to roofs, siding, trees and power lines is possible.”
In Fountain Hill, local emergency officials said the storm apparently produced a microburst with straight line winds that brought down trees and wires onto vehicles and roadways. Much of the damage appeared to have occurred in a line that cut through the center of the borough, which slopes downward from a higher elevation from west to east.
The 1100 block of Broadway between N. Hoffert and N. Bergen streets was temporarily closed when wires fell on the road. Nearby, a section of vinyl vencing was blown out and a gazebo collapsed.
Other trees and wires were brought down in the surrounding neighborhoods, and a significant amount of trash that was left out for pickup by garbage haulers was strewn across streets and yards.
In Lower Saucon Township, police said that as of late Thursday morning Saucon Valley Road was closed between Bingen and Weyhill Farm roads due to downed wires, with a utility crew notified. According to a post on the Lower Saucon Township Police Department’s Crimewatch site, other roads closed in Lower Saucon as of 11:30 a.m. included Crestline Drive between Williams Church and Lower Saucon roads, Silver Creek Road between Reservoir and Lower Saucon roads, Saucon Valley Road between Bingen Road and Apple Tree Lane, Springtown Hill Road between Orchards and Lower Saucon roads, Bergstresser Drive between Wassergass Road and Drifting Drive, and Countryside Lane between Easton and Applebutter roads.
Despite the widespread damage, PPL reported only isolated power outages affecting clusters of 100 or fewer customers across southern Northampton and southern Lehigh counties. However, further north along the Rt. 22 corridor, thousands of PPL customers were without electricity, primarily in the city of Allentown, South Whitehall Township and Whitehall Township.
As of approximately 11 a.m., nearly 10,000 customers were without power in the Allentown area alone, according to PPL.