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Adams County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 397 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 70.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,267 nationally and #41 in Pennsylvania.
397
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$12.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 124 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 354 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adams County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $9.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 280 | 1 | $9.4M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $15K | 1.75 | 1980–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 1 | $114K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $2.9M | F3 | 1951–2021 |
| Flood | 14 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Adams County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2018 | Flood | HEIDLERSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2006 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
On Wednesday, July 25th, An 18 year old boy was found deceased along Conewago Creek by Stone Jug Road and Benders Church Road in Butler Township. His family reported him missing on July 23rd, and it is believed he was last seen on Sunday evening.
Numerous trees and wires were knocked down in Gettysburg. Within the Gettysburg National Military Park, thunderstorm winds blew down a large limb which landed on and severely damaged a marble monument. Damage was estimated at $150,000.
A severe thunderstorm microburst produced straight line wind damage near the town of East Berlin, Pennsylvania on Aug 6 at 725 PM EDT. Maximum wind speeds were estimated between 90 and 100 mph. The most significant damage occurred at a property on the 800 block of Rife Rd, where the roof was completely ripped off of a home that was approximately 250 years old. One of the exterior walls collapsed outward on the second story of a newer addition to the home. An RV was flipped and rolled over at a nearby property, where several steel panels were also ripped off the roof of a long barn. An empty trailer from a semi was flipped alongside Rife Rd. Isolated tree damage was observed along a 1-mile stretch from Gladfelter Rd to Roland Rd south to north, and between Fish and Game Rd and Rife Rd west to east.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
106,115
Population (ACS)
$269K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 23, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 12, 2011 | Flood | TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR |
| Sep 8, 2011 | Flood | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, Pennsylvania?
397 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $12.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 280 recorded events — 70.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adams County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams County, Pennsylvania severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Allegheny County 2,357
- Armstrong County 510
- Beaver County 840
- Bedford County 267
- Berks County 1,349
- Blair County 304
Cite this page
“Adams County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.