Last tornado to hit northern Schuylkill? 1981
RINGTOWN – The last time a tornado hit northern Schuylkill County was nearly 43 years ago and damaged a farm.
That tornado touched down on July 26, 1981 around 8pm west of Ringtown.
Newspaper reports at the time said it hit two farms along Aristes Road, one owned by the Hart family and another owned by the Rumbel family.
Trees were uprooted and destroyed most of John Rumbel’s apple orchard.
On the Hart farm, it damaged several buildings, including two barns.
According to a map hosted by the Midwestern Regional Climate Center at Purdue University, it was one of only two tornadoes to hit northern Schuylkill County since 1951.
The other was on Sept. 19, 1954 in the Fountain Springs area. Further information on that twister was not located Monday night.
In 1998, a twister stopped short of entering Schuylkill County as it ripped a path of destruction through lower Northumberland County.
On June 2, 1998, the tornado touched down in the Shamokin area, just outside the built-up portion of the city, and tracked about 15 miles southeast towards Lavelle.
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