Snyder County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 205 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 70.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,419 nationally and #58 in Pennsylvania.
205
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$6.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Snyder County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Snyder County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 58 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 192 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Snyder County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Snyder County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 | 0 | $426K | 100 | 1973–2025 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $500 | 2.5 | 1977–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 1 | $140K | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $5.6M | F2 | 1957–2021 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $230K | 0 | 2006–2024 |
Decade by decade
Snyder County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-17 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-09-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-09-15 | EF0 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Snyder County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Sep 16, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | KRATZERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| Aug 28, 1978 | 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
A large macroburst produced damaging wind gusts in an eight square mile area that included parts of Washington, Penn, Union and Middlecreek Townships. Within this macroburst a tornado touched down in Kantz and exacerbated the wind related damage. The Mennonite Community in Kantz bore the brunt of the damage with 30 to 40 percent of all their structures affected. In all, six homes were destroyed, thirteen received major damage and thirty-seven other had minor or minimal damage. Twenty-two farm structures were damaged with three barns totally destroyed. The most severely damaged business was the Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Penn Township whose roof was pealed off. Total damage included crop losses was an estimated 2.59 million dollars.
Widespread small stream flooding was reported across Snyder County as a result of heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Flooding was reported on Middle Creek in the borough of Middleburg. Flooding was also reported in the borough of Selinsgrove. Ten roads were closed across the county due to high water. A preliminary total of 23 buildings were destroyed in Synder County, with 382 suffering major damage and 59 suffering minor damage. A total of 799 structures impacted were eimpacted during the event. Damages were estimated at $229,892 for public facilities in the county.
Damage was mainly sustained by two structures and many trees. A building which was used as shelter for lambs and cows was about two-thirds destroyed. Most of the building was lifted from the ground and deposited downwind from the site up to a few hundred yards. Pieces of wood and sheet metal were found driven into trees left standing behind the building and house. Some debris was carried up a hill downwind from the tornado and deposited a few hundred yards away. A shed-type structure on the left side of the tornado path was partially ripped away and deposited 20 to 40 yards to the west in a field. A clump of trees 20 to 30 yards wide behind the property was also leveled.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,668
Population (ACS)
$215K
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 |
| 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 |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Snyder County, Pennsylvania?
205 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $6.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Snyder County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 145 recorded events — 70.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Snyder County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Snyder County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Snyder County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Snyder County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Snyder County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Snyder 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
- Schuylkill County 364
- Somerset County 416
- Potter County 247
- Sullivan County 178
- Pike County 219
- Susquehanna County 514
Cite this page
“Snyder County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/snyder-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.