The EF-1 tornado with winds up to 110 mph hit near Cressona around 8:10 p.m. Thursday. It uprooted trees, knocked down power lines and damaged more than 20 homes along an 18-mile track to West Penn Township, according to the agency.
"Damage was pretty extensive. Four of those homes had major damage. There were a dozen barns and outbuildings that were also damaged," meteorologist Greg DeVoir told The Republican-Herald of Pottsville on Friday.
It was the second tornado to hit Schuylkill County this week. On Monday, an EF-1 tornado embedded in a larger area of straight-line winds destroyed a barn and damaged several other buildings near Brockton.
Earlier Thursday evening, an EF-1 tornado with top winds of about 90 mph struck near New Franklin in Franklin County. It traveled about 200 yards, nearly hit a house and destroyed a dozen trees. No injuries were reported.
In western Pennsylvania, one storm Thursday toppled a circus tent, injuring five people.
One adult was struck in the head and hospitalized in intensive care after the Lewis and Clark Circus tent collapsed in Seward, Westmoreland County.
Spectators fled from the toppled tent partway through the first of two scheduled shows. Three people were taken from the scene in ambulances, Seward Volunteer Fire Company Chief Travis Lovejoy said.
"There was no warning of any kind. It lasted probably less than 10 minutes," said circus owner Albert Buchanan.
Damaging hail was reported in Cumberland and Northumberland counties. Hail up to 3 inches in diameter was reported in Carbon County, where it smashed car windows and dented vehicles in Lansford and Summit Hill.
About 120,000 customers of PPL Electric Utilities lost power across the state. Power was restored to about 72,000 by Friday evening, but the company's website said some customers might not see electricity until Sunday.
Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, which is hosting a NASCAR race on June 12, had no power and closed all its offices Friday, including its ticket office, according to the Twitter feed posted on its website.
Police, fire, ambulance and municipal crews responded to more than 150 calls in Franklin County, where homes and businesses suffered mild to moderate damage by high winds and hail. A couple of motorists were rescued from cars trapped by rapidly rising water, said David Donohue, director of the county Emergency Services Department.
In York, where wind gusts reached 60 mph during the storm, a row home lost its roof but no injuries were reported, said West York Fire Capt. Chuck Zienkiewicz.
