Potter County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 247 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,125 nationally and #55 in Pennsylvania.
247
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Potter County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Potter County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 71 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 231 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Potter County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $800K 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 Potter County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 171 | 1 | $432K | 90 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 36 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1970–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $434K | F3 | 1954–2013 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $800K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2012–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Potter County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-07-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-09-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-05-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Potter County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | KINNEY | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 31, 2012 | Lightning | MILLPORT | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 1974 | 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
Rainfall amounts between 2 and 4 inches produced extensive flooding. The flooding closed numerous state, county and municipal roads including portions of SR 6. Flood waters spilled into first-floor buildings in downtown Coudersport. Numerous basements were flooded. Water rescues was performed at 163 Summit Street in Austin Borough along Freeman's Run and at C & S Lumber in Roulette along the Allegheny River. Flooding was reported along Reeds Run Road, Railroad Avenue, Main Street, Fishing Creek and Lananger Creek in the Roulette area. Evacuations were ordered in West Bingham Township as a result of flooding along the Genesee River.
A team from the National Weather Service office in State College surveyed damage and interviewed residents and emergency management officials in Potter county. The team determined that an F3 tornado touched down in Potter county around 4:00 pm Monday July 21 2003. The tornado first touched down about 2 miles southwest of the town of Ellisburg…where it downed hundreds of trees. The tornado continued to the northeast…where it hit the Smoker Farm. The barn and house were completely destroyed…and one of three silos was tipped over. A second home on Smoker Road was also extensively damaged and is uninhabitable. In addition…a car was picked up and thrown 600 yards. A farm tractor was lifted into the trees. The tornado path was 2 1/2 miles long…while the width was about 200 yards. Based on the damage…the tornado was mainly an F2…but rated as a weak F3 at its peak with winds of 160 mph. There were two injuries, but no deaths.
Severe thunderstorms spawned a brief tornado near Ayers Hill. A survey team consisting of the National Weather Service and County Emergency Management concluded that the tornado touched down near the intersection of Cherry Tree Lane and First Fork Road /SR 3003/ just west of Ayers Hill. The tornado moved east-northeast intermittently touching down for about a half mile before lifting near Gates Hill Road. There were several witnesses who saw a funnel cloud prior to taking shelter in their homes. Damage included uprooting about 30 trees, damaging two barns, and producing some minor roof damage to 4 homes. In addition, a large trailer was overturned, totaling two vehicles which it landed on. A vehicle was blown off First Fork Road as the tornado moved overhead. Peak winds were estimated at 75 mph, making the tornado an EF0. There were no injuries or fatalities.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,188
Population (ACS)
$153K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 10, 2013 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Potter County, Pennsylvania?
247 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Potter County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 171 recorded events — 69.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Potter County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Potter County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Potter County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Potter County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Potter County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Potter 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
- Pike County 219
- Schuylkill County 364
- Philadelphia County 643
- Snyder County 205
- Perry County 287
- Somerset County 416
Cite this page
“Potter County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/potter-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.