Crawford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 784 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #309 nationally and #13 in Pennsylvania.
784
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
105
Direct injuries
$369.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Crawford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Crawford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 10.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 240 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 704 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Crawford County, Pennsylvania record is tornado, responsible for 11 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $287.6M 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 Crawford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 483 | 1 | $9.8M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 185 | 0 | $2.0M | 4 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 63 | 1 | $69.2M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 40 | 11 | $287.6M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 2015–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Crawford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 12 | 82 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 33.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Crawford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 8 | 75 | $25.0M | |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 10, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | CONNEAUT LAKE | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 21, 2003 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $30.0M |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jan 13, 1998 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 13 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 3, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong winds snapped a tree limb at the Jamestown Campground inside Pymatuning State Park. A 48 year old male camper who had taken shelter under a canopy at his campsite was killed by the falling limb. The camper's 10 year old son was also injured. The son was transported to a local hospital and was treated and released. Many other trees were reported downed in the state park.
A second round of heavy rain fell on Crawford County during the evening hours. Rainfall rates well in excess of an inch per hour combined with soil saturated from the earlier rains led to a second round of flash flooding. More roads and culverts were washed out, especially across the southern half of county. Evacuations initiated during the afternoon storms continued through the evening hours. Hundreds of people were displaced from their homes. Rainfall totals for the day were generally four to six inches. 4.07 inches of rain was measured at the Meadville Airport with 4.90 inches at Linesville and around 4 inches at both Saegertown and Cambridge Springs. Bucket surveys in the Cochranton area indicated that at least 5 to 6 inches of rain fell during the day. Several hundred homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by flooding and damage to roads was extensive.
An F2 tornado touched down three miles west of Custards and then tracked east for seven miles. The tornado finally lifted just west of Cochranton near U.S Highway 322. The damage path was continuous, up to 50 yards in width and roughly parallel to State Route 285. Significant damage occurred along the damage path. At least ten homes were damaged with two large farm buildings destroyed. Two factories west of Custards along Delano Road were also heavily damaged. One factory lost over 16,000 square feet of roofing and had much of it's inventory destroyed. The second factory was also heavily damaged on one side. Twelve semi trailers parked outside this factory were overturned and destroyed. Several dozen workers inside the factories had sought shelter prior to the arrival of the tornado and were uninjured. Hundreds of trees and dozens of power poles were downed along the damage path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
82,716
Population (ACS)
$153K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 1, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION FRANCES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Crawford County, Pennsylvania?
784 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $369.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Crawford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 483 recorded events — 61.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Crawford County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Crawford County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Crawford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Crawford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Crawford County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Crawford 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
- Columbia County 319
- Cumberland County 429
- Clinton County 350
- Dauphin County 553
- Clearfield County 487
- Delaware County 671
Cite this page
“Crawford County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/crawford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.