On March 27, 1911, a great storm swept over Philadelphia, striking several neighborhoods from the Southeast to the Northwest. But it was in Tacony that most of the damage was felt.

At 6:30 that evening the congregation of St. Leo The Great Catholic Church was gathered for worship. A great stained-glass window was ripped out of its frame and sent flying down onto the heads of the worshippers in the pews. As they attempted to escape, they found themselves assailed by flying chunks of large glass. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in that incident. Altogether, the costs from the storm throughout the city were estimated at about a million dollars, with about $200,000 of that coming from damages in Tacony.