Lehigh County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 694 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #409 nationally and #17 in Pennsylvania.
694
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$72.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lehigh County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 255 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 649 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lehigh County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $35.3M 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 Lehigh County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 395 | 0 | $1.6M | 95 | 1964–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 95 | 1 | $35.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $125K | 2.5 | 1962–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 41 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Lightning | 27 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $32.1M | F2 | 1950–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2017 |
Decade by decade
Lehigh 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: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-07-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-07-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1950-07-05 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 12.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-09-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lehigh County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 | Flash Flood | COOPERSBURG | 1 | 0 | $3K |
| Jul 6, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 9, 2014 | Lightning | NEW TRIPOLI | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEWHARD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | JACKSONVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2003 | Lightning | EMMAUS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2003 | Flash Flood | SOUTH PORTION | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALBURTIS | 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 car driven by a 44-year-old woman was swept away by flood waters along the 6300 block of North Main Street in Upper Saucon Township near a bridge that passes over Laurel Run. The victim was pronounced dead later in the day after the waters receded.
A lightning strike at about 930 a.m. EDT and the ensuing fire badly damaged the Whitehall Township municipal building. Heavy rain that also fell exacerbated the damage. More than 150 firefighters assisted in extinguishing the blaze. The roof of the building (a 20 foot by 30 foot section) partially collapsed and damaged several administrative offices, computers and phones. Some records burned. A state of emergency was declared. Damage to the building was estimated as much as one million dollars. No serious injuries were reported.
A strong microburst caused wind damage in Whitehall Township in and near the Stiles section of the township. Because of the wind damage, a township state of emergency was declared. Numerous trees were knocked down and many roads were impassable due to the downed trees. The downed trees damaged twenty-nine homes and buildings. One building sustained major damage. The township advised residents to stay off the roads. Around 600 Pennsylvania, Power and Light customers within the township were still without power late in the evening on the 30th. Some of the most significant crop damage occurred along Columbia Street where large sections of corn fields were flattened.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
378,792
Population (ACS)
$300K
Median home value
17
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 8, 2011 | Flood | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | EM |
| Sep 3, 2011 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRENE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
694 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $72.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lehigh County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 395 recorded events — 56.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lehigh County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lehigh County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lehigh County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lehigh County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lehigh County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lehigh 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
- Lebanon County 427
- Luzerne County 599
- Lawrence County 594
- Lycoming County 631
- Lancaster County 989
- McKean County 348
Cite this page
“Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/lehigh-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.