Credit: Inside The MagicDorney Park, a family-friendly theme park that has existed since 1884, had to close its doors yesterday due to a string of devastating storms moving through the Northeastern portion of the United States. A part of the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, this Cedar Fair park has been around for almost as long as Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
Related: New Permit Filing Hints at Planned Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Replacement at Magic Kingdom
Dorney Park and Water-Themed Land Closes Down Following Severe Inclement Weather, Devastation Strikes Upper Portion of U.S.
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, an amusement and water park in Dorneyville, Pennsylvania, near Allentown, is owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The park boasts 64 rides, including eight roller coasters, numerous thrill rides, kiddie rides, and the Wildwater Kingdom waterpark, which offers 19 water rides. Among its notable attractions is Steel Force, the eighth-longest steel roller coaster globally and the second-longest on the U.S. East Coast.
Dorney Park is also one of only fourteen trolley parks across the United States. There is a chance for severe storms today in South-Central Pennsylvania like they did yesterday, which prompted Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom to suspend all operations throughout the day, with operations resuming this morning at 10:30 a.m. EST. The historical theme park sent out a message during the evening hours to inform guests:
⚠ PARK UPDATE: We are now CLOSED for the day. We're sorry for the inconvenience, stay safe out there.
💙We'll see you again tomorrow at 10:30am. pic.twitter.com/ZCzSJ0KMn7
— Dorney Park (@DorneyParkPR) July 16, 2024
PARK UPDATE: We are now CLOSED for the day. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, stay safe out there. We’ll see you again tomorrow at 10:30am.
Today, storms may develop ahead of a cold front, with scattered thunderstorms possibly after lunchtime. The highest risk for storms is expected from dinnertime through sunset. As the cold front moves overhead, isolated showers and thunderstorms remain possible tonight. Conditions will be muggy, with lows near 70 degrees.
Dorney Park Not Alone – Devastating Storms Sweep Through Northern Portion of United States
The risks associated with the storms are as follows: damaging wind is rated as medium, heavy rain as medium, large hail as low, and tornado as low. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has placed the western parts of the Susquehanna Valley at a marginal risk of severe weather and the region’s eastern part at a slight risk. These risks correspond to a 1 and 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, respectively.
Severe storms and at least four tornadoes swept through New York State overnight, causing widespread destruction and resulting in one fatality. Hundreds of thousands of residents lost power due to downed power lines. NBC affiliate WPTZ of Plattsburgh, New York, confirmed tornado touchdowns using radar imagery.
The tornadoes struck Rome, located 17 miles northwest of Utica, and two locations in Hamilton County and one in Warren County to the east. Authorities reported that one person died in the village of Canastota, Madison County, west of Rome. More than 110,000 residents in New York and 103,000 in Illinois were without power Wednesday morning.
Related: Universal Attraction Suffers “Serious” Damage, Guests Witness in Real-Time
Pennsylvania Has a History of Bad Weather
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency across New York on Tuesday, noting that Central New York, Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier were the hardest hit regions. She communicated with the mayor of Rome, Jeffrey Lanigan, and Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. Lanigan described the aftermath at a news conference, stating, “It looks like a war zone.”
Pennsylvania has faced numerous devastating weather events, including floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Flooding, the state’s most common natural disaster, can result from heavy rain, changing weather patterns, impervious surfaces, small streams, and limited drainage. In 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Ida claimed five lives in Pennsylvania, including a person whose car was trapped in a flooded creek and another who was killed when a tree fell on her house.
In July 2022, a flash flood in Bucks County resulted in seven fatalities. Pennsylvania ranks among the top 25 states for tornado occurrences, averaging about 15 annually. Tornado outbreaks, where multiple tornadoes occur within a few days, are also common.