Jefferson County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 592 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #610 nationally and #26 in Pennsylvania.
592
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$109.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 249 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 537 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, Pennsylvania record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $100.7M 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 Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 380 | 0 | $4.6M | 70 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1966–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 54 | 0 | $100.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 51 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $1.1M | F2 | 1968–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 1996–1997 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson 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: 14 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-07-11 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 28.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 27.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-16 | EF1 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $250K | |
| Aug 17, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | KAHLETOWN | 0 | 1 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency manager reported flooding throughout the town of Reynoldsville. Major arteries in and out of the town were made impassable. State Route 322 and 950 had several feet of water in spots. Over a dozen homes were evacuated and several car rescues took place. Several roadways remained closed until Saturday the 29th.
After several days of heavy thunderstorm rains had already soaked the ground, a thunderstorm which deposited between two and four inches of rainfall in two hours produced flooding across southern sections of Jefferson County. Hardest hit were the Anita and Worthville areas, where several homes were flooded. Just northwest of Worthville, Tarkin Run overflowed its banks and flooded State Route 3003, where a large truck was stranded in water up to the tops of its wheels. Several other roadways in southern Jefferson County were closed due to flooding. Home and basement flooding were also reported in Reynoldsville and Punxsutawney.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh conducted a tornado survey along the Clarion River that straddles Jefferson and Elk County. ||A weak EF0 tornado moved north northeast shortly after daybreak on Saturday October 16th. This resulted in damage to softwood and hardwood trees along the Jefferson County side of the Clarion River along State Route 949. More significant damage (EF1) was observed on the Elk County side, along River Road. The tornado lifted just prior to reaching Bridge Road. Estimated Maximum Wind Speed…85 mph.||Estimated cost of damage was provided by the county emergency manager.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
43,864
Population (ACS)
$140K
Median home value
14
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 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania?
592 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $109.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 380 recorded events — 64.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 58 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Indiana County 622
- Juniata County 152
- Huntingdon County 333
- Lackawanna County 444
- Greene County 357
- Lancaster County 989
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.