By Robert McClintock, N3RZI, Schuylkill County EC
May 28, 2024 – Mahanoy City, PA
Upon receiving word of a possible tornado in Mahanoy City last evening, Amateur Radio Operators from
Schuylkill County sprang into action, establishing communication links and collecting damage reports.
At 7:44 PM Monday evening, local amateur radio operators were alerted to a possible tornado in Mahanoy
City, later confirmed by officials from the National Weather Service State College office to be an EF-1
tornado.
Weather bulletins were passed over local amateur repeaters to radio operators in the Barnesville and
Tamaqua areas to warn of the approaching storm, and communications were maintained after the passing of
the storms to collect damage and utility outage information.
Within minutes of the alert, nine radio operators from throughout northern and eastern Schuylkill County
stood by with emergency power and communications equipment in the event they were needed in the affected
area. The team stood down by 10 PM as the incident eventually stabilized.