A thunderstorm brought significant rainfall and hail Tuesday night to the Lehigh Valley, bringing an end to an already rainy April.
Lehigh Valley International Airport recorded 1.15 inches of rain from Tuesday’s night storm alone, which accounts for roughly 20% of the total rain that fell in the region last month, according to weather service data.
Ray Martin, meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said the storm lasted about an hour, which is typical for thunderstorms. Not much damage was reported from the storm other than trees down in both Moore and Plainfield townships in Northampton County, he said.
“It was mainly a rain and hail storm,” Martin said.
The storm brought dark clouds, heavy rain and brief high winds when it hit about 7:30 p.m.
North Catasauqua and Whitehall Township saw 1.25 inch hail, according to the weather service. That was the biggest recorded hail in the Lehigh Valley. Photos shared on social media after 8 p.m. Tuesday showed significant amounts of hail across the Whitehall and Catasauqua areas.
Some areas, such as Slatington, Allentown and Bethlehem, had hail that was about an inch or less in diameter, according to the weather service.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued by the weather service for Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as parts of Carbon, Monroe and Bucks counties, around 7:30 p.m. The warning expired just before 9 p.m. as the storms moved out of the area.
At one point, the line of storms extended from Nazareth to Allentown, according to the weather service. Weather service radar indicated the storm was producing hail up to “ping pong ball” size as well as damaging 70 mph wind gusts over the warned area. Frequent cloud to ground lightning was also reported with the storms.
The weather service warned that the hail had the potential to injure people and animals outdoors, as well as cause damage to house roofs, siding and windows, as well as vehicles.
Just before 8 p.m., a post on X from the weather service’s Mount Holly, New Jersey, forecast office warned people in the Lehigh Valley to, “Take shelter now!”
The wind gusts were also capable of damaging roofs and siding, as well as downing trees and power lines, according to the weather service.
Power outages were limited, with only about 500 PPL customers without power as of 8:15 p.m., almost entirely in Northampton County, according to the electric utility’s outage map . Most of those outages were centered in Hanover Township.
The storm threat comes as a cold front moves through the region. Any lingering thunderstorms Tuesday night should taper off by midnight, according to the weather service.
Tuesday night caps off a relatively rainy month. While April was not the rainiest of the year so far, the National Weather Service recorded 5.56 inches of rain for the entire month. The highest rainfall total last month happened on April 3, when 1.92 inches of rain fell. The second-highest single-day rainfall happened Tuesday night, according to weather service data.
Forecasters said April’s rainfall was about 2 inches higher than the average for the month.
January had the most rainfall of the year so far. A recorded 6.32 inches of rain fell that month.
The Lehigh Valley also had some very warm days in the last few days of the month. A high of 88 was reached on Monday, marking a new record for April 29. The previous record was set in 1974 at 86.
After Tuesday, there is no rain in the forecast until Saturday, when temperatures will cool significantly.
Here is the extended forecast from the National Weather Service:
Tuesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then scattered showers. Cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Saturday: A chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
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