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Cumberland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 429 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,136 nationally and #37 in Pennsylvania.
429
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 132 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 378 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cumberland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 289 | 0 | $941K | 85 | 1962–2025 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1962–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 2 | $285K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $1.2M | F3 | 1961–2022 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $15K | 50 | 2000–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-04-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cumberland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2000 | Lightning | NEWVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1996 | Flash Flood | NEWVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | CARLISLE | 0 | 5 | $125K |
| Apr 10, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 26, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEES XRDS | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Apr 16, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILLIAMS GROVE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2000 | Lightning | SHIPPENSBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A six year old girl was fatally injured when lightning struck her while she was playing outside her Upper Mifflin Township home on the evening of October 4th. Children were out picking up pumpkins for Halloween when the lightning struck.
The Yellow Breeches Creek near Camp Hill crested in moderate flood stage at 9.6 feet. Flood stage is 7.0 feet. This is the 10th highest crest on record. The Conodoguinet Creek near Hogestown crested in moderate flood stage at 10.52 feet. Flood stage is 8.0 feet.||Many roads in the county were closed due to flooding from creeks and streams. Flooding was reported along the Susquehanna River in the Wormleysburg area.||A portion of Bridge Street in New Cumberland was underwater and residents in that area evacuated. The street was closed, and Olde Towne Beverage was underwater. The Borough of New Cumberland was under state of emergency.||A preliminary total of 160 structures suffered major damage, and 100 suffered minor damage with a total of 448 structures impacted.
Heavy rain caused flash flooding just north of Carlisle in North Middletown Township. Three to five feet of water inundated several homes along Echo Road. Water was over the top of resident mailboxes in some areas. Several municipal roads were also closed due to the flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
268,323
Population (ACS)
$278K
Median home value
19
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 Cumberland County, Pennsylvania?
429 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cumberland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 289 recorded events — 67.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cumberland County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cumberland County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cumberland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cumberland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cumberland County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cumberland 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
- Crawford County 784
- Dauphin County 553
- Columbia County 319
- Delaware County 671
- Clinton County 350
- Elk County 239
Cite this page
“Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/cumberland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.