LOWER MACUNGIE TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania – Another oppressive, stormy evening has left its mark on the Lehigh Valley, where scorching heat and suffocating humidity have once again collided with fast-approaching severe thunderstorms.
Late Thursday afternoon, parts of Eastern Pennsylvania were hit hard as powerful wind gusts tore through neighborhoods, snapping trees, bringing down power lines, and leaving thousands without electricity.
One of the areas hit the hardest was Lower Macungie Township, where a lightning bolt struck a property along Spring Creek Road, slicing a massive tree clean in two.
“It was blowing so hard, the rain was so bad you couldn’t even see out the window,” said Roxann Gambler, who lives on the property with her son and daughter-in-law.
Gambler recalled being in her bedroom when a deafening crash shattered the moment. That sound, she said, was the lightning strike, which exploded a towering tree in their front yard. One half of the tree slammed down across the property, with a large shard landing just outside her bedroom window. The rest blocked their driveway completely.
“We got lucky it didn’t actually hit the house,” added Stephanie Ziegler, Gambler’s daughter-in-law.
The only real losses? The family’s two flag poles.
“Came out and saw our flag poles down. I just put that one in three weeks ago,” Ziegler told reporters, visibly frustrated.
What’s even more unsettling: this isn’t the first time. Ziegler said another lightning strike hit the opposite side of the yard just a few years ago, damaging a different tree.
With afternoon temperatures climbing well above 90°F (32°C) and humidity levels soaring, conditions were once again perfect for these kinds of violent, fast-developing storms.
Now, the family will spend the coming week clearing heavy debris, grateful that things didn’t take a worse turn.
“We’re lucky it didn’t go up in the flames. That was a little close for comfort,” Ziegler admitted, shaken but safe.
