Mercer County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 808 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #284 nationally and #12 in Pennsylvania.
808
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
95
Direct injuries
$38.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Mercer County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mercer County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 11.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 284 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 762 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mercer County, Pennsylvania record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $30.7M 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 Mercer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 519 | 0 | $6.3M | 130 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 160 | 0 | $38K | 2.75 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 0 | $767K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 9 | $30.7M | F5 | 1954–2024 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $191K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Mercer County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 3 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 | EF5 | 18 | 310 | 47.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 16 | 125 | 56.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 1 | 19 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-10-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-09-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-09-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mercer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 8 | 60 | $250K | |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | SHARPSVILLE | 1 | 19 | $1.0M |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 15, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jun 1, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| Jul 21, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | GROVE CITY | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Jul 20, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | JAMESTOWN | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Aug 2, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Starting about 7:54 PM, an F2 tornado touched down near Trout Island Road, east of Sharpsville. The tornado traveled northeast at 50 mph, crossed Route 18, then ripped into Clark. It crossed Shenango River Lake and tracked to New Hamburg, where it dissipated 8:02 PM. The tornado path was 7 miles long, about 500 yards wide at its maximum, in the town of Clark. Maximum winds estimated 155 mph. Majority of damage and all injuries occurred in Clark. Fifteen homes completely destroyed, 13 major damage, 29 had minor damage. One business destroyed; 1 suffered major damage. A large number of trees were snapped or toppled. Large truck was overturned. One van was thrown across Route 258. Several other vehicles were moved by the tornado or suffered considerable damage. Strongest tornado in Mercer county since May 31,1985.
Heavy thunderstorm rains of over 3 inches in only a few hours resulted in numerous reports of flooding across the downtown Sharon area. Several businesses reported flood damage. A 50-by-60 foot section of the roof of one business collapsed due to the weight of the rain water. Many homes reported flooded basements, while one home had its basement wall collapsed by the rushing waters. Several roadways across the Sharon area were impassible due to flooding.
A NWS Storm Survey found damage from a micro-burst along a 1.4 mile long path along U.S. Highway 62 in Jackson Center. The maximum winds were estimated between 80 and 85 MPH, and the width of the damage path was around 50 yards. Damage consisted of numerous soft and hardwood trees snapped or uprooted, with roof damage to several family homes and garages.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
109,257
Population (ACS)
$164K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Hurricane | TROPICAL DEPRESSION IVAN | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mercer County, Pennsylvania?
808 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $38.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mercer County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 519 recorded events — 64.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mercer County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mercer County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mercer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mercer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mercer County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mercer 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
- McKean County 348
- Mifflin County 197
- Lycoming County 631
- Monroe County 526
- Luzerne County 599
- Montgomery County 1,119
Cite this page
“Mercer County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/mercer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.