A storm with the impact of a lion-tamer's whip - a quick, snapping, stinging motion - struck much of the area yesterday.

The result was hail, fallen tree branches, and even a snapped utility pole.Although estimates on the local wind gust speed weren't available, in Lehigh and Northampton counties gusts were measured at 58 mph in Easton and 65 mph near Bangor.It was the broken pole which caused the most significant problems.A wind gust caused a Verizon utility pole to snap - just below the "T" junction - on Route 443 in Mahoning Township in front of Radio Shack.The incident happened in mid-afternoon and forced traffic on Route 443 to be detoured for several hours, creating a major traffic jam.Donato Sabatino and Jason Mauricio, sales associates at Radio Shack store. Route 443, witnessed the weather phenomena."We had the back door open and the wind blew open the front door," said Mauricio. "I ran to close the door and yelled, 'look at that.'"Mauricio and Sabatino saw blue and yellow sparks emitting from the pole and the wires falling as the pole snapped."We went out in the pouring rain to direct traffic," said Sabatino.Sabatino said the traffic was coming through the Radio Shack parking lot before fire police routed it through the Carbon Plaza Mall parking lot.Lights flickered and went out in Payless Shoes and in the Radio Shack store, causing alarms to sound at the Radio Shack security center.In the Carbon Plaza Mall, John Yurkonic Agency worker Jana Metro said they had no loss of power or Internet connection.PPL workers arrived approximately 45 minutes after the pole snapped off and workers placed insulated sleeves on the wires to protect Verizon workers when they worked on replacing the pole. Workers also shored up the drooping wires until the pole was replaced.In Packerton, Mahoning Township, a large tree branch fell on a patio roof and caused damage.A huge tree branch fell to the rear of a home at 11 W. Front St. in Jim Thorpe, with sub-branches landing on a car. The car, owned by Pat Zovak, reportedly received scratches.Zovak said she had just gotten the car as a Valentine's Day gift. She said the storm came out of nowhere, and that she had never seen the wind so strong since she's lived here. She also said the storm only lasted about 15-20 minutes.It was reported that a van had been parked just beneath the tree and was moved just a few short minutes before the branch fell.The storm caused a 35-minute delay of the Panther Valley High School baseball game, and the accompanying rain made the field muddy. The athletic trainer's cart became stuck on the muddy field, necessitating a push manually by members of the baseball team.A series of low-pressure systems entering the region like ocean waves bring the chance for more unsettled weather over the next week.The next chance for thunderstorms is tomorrow morning after 2 a.m., although the storms are predicted to be scattered.