Venango County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 598 recorded events between 1965 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #586 nationally and #24 in Pennsylvania.
598
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
62
Direct injuries
$106.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Venango County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Venango County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 9.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 190 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 560 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Venango County, Pennsylvania record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $52.0M 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 Venango County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 386 | 1 | $3.1M | 80 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 92 | 0 | $20K | 2.75 | 1986–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 72 | 0 | $52.0M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 22 | 0 | $348K | 0 | 2007–2017 |
| Tornado | 14 | 8 | $50.5M | F4 | 1974–2021 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $110K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2018 |
Decade by decade
Venango 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: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 16 | 125 | 56.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 7 | 30 | 29.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Venango County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 8 | 40 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 24, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | FRANKLIN | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 16, 2005 | Lightning | FRANKLIN | 0 | 13 | $0 |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 14, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | FRANKLIN | 0 | 2 | $30K |
| Aug 16, 1997 | Lightning | CHERRYTREE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
By 713 AM EDT, Sage Run overflowed and flooded Rte 62 near Oil City; and buildings were flooded in Franklin. By 920 AM EDT, the town of Polk was flooded; about 50 homes received major damage. People were chest deep in water and had to be rescued. When water began spilling over the top of the earthen Piffer Dam, 250 people were evacuated. Other roads in the southwest part of Venango County were closed or washed out. By 8 AM EDT, the city of Franklin declared a disaster: the water treatment plant was flooded. Rte 62 remained closed, because of flooding, from Franklin to the Mercer County line. A manufacturing plant was flooded by 830 AM EDT. A gas station was flooded. A bridge was washed out on Deep Hollow Rd. 20 people had to be rescued. Polk and other parts of Venango County remained flooded until at least 5 PM EDT. Rain gauge in Polk recorded 3.2 inches of rain in 2 hours.
Strong thunderstorms dropped over 2 inches of rain in around one hour, which produced flooding in the Franklin area. Several main roadways in the area, including State Routes 8, 322 and 417 were closed due to flooding. Nearly 2 feet of water was reported on SR 322 just west of Franklin. In the Franklin area, dozens of homes and several businesses reported basement flooding. Up to 6 feet of water flooded some of the urban roadways, stranding motorists.
Parts of Routes 8 and 62, and other roads, flooded. Pizza business on 15th Street hill flooded twice during this storm. Chubb Run overflowed, flooded at least 3 homes. Three homes evacuated. At least a dozen basements flooded. Route 257 near Oil City flooded. Doppler radar estimated 3.7 inches of rain fell.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
49,801
Population (ACS)
$120K
Median home value
15
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 Venango County, Pennsylvania?
598 events are on record between 1965 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $106.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Venango County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 386 recorded events — 64.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Venango County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Venango County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Venango County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Venango County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Venango County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Venango 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
- Union County 185
- Warren County 403
- Tioga County 338
- Washington County 1,017
- Wayne County 308
- Susquehanna County 514
Cite this page
“Venango County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/venango-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.