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York County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 910 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #200 nationally and #9 in Pennsylvania.
910
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
59
Direct injuries
$33.5M
Property damage
The record
What the York County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, York County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 12.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 294 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 87 events fall before 1990 and 823 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the York County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $14.8M 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 York County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 583 | 2 | $7.8M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 164 | 0 | $4K | 4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 96 | 2 | $6.1M | 1 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 0 | $14.8M | F3 | 1952–2023 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $4.7M | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $47K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2019 |
Decade by decade
York County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-04-05 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-09-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-07-31 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in York County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2004 | Flash Flood | FELTON | 2 | 0 | $5.5M |
| Jul 18, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 15 | $0 | |
| Jun 19, 2007 | Lightning | LEWISBERRY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | YORK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| Jul 28, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST YORK | 0 | 6 | $2K |
| Apr 9, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | York | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst produced straight line winds of 70 to 80 mph, producing a nine mile swath of wind damage that was approximately one mile in width across east-central York County and into far western Lancaster County. Numerous trees were toppled or snapped along the damage path, and several structures sustained roof damage. The damage path ran from just northwest of Freysville in York County east-northeastward to Columbia in Lancaster County.
A tornado touched down near Grand Valley Road at 17:33 EST about 5 miles South of Hanover PA. The tornado proceded northward, through Parkville then lifting to the north of Blooming Grove at 17:40 EST. The path of the tornado was about 5 miles in length but not always on the ground while the width varied from 50 to 200 yards. The top wind speeds were estimated at 110 to 120 mph. There were no injuries or deaths. Significant damage included 8 homes with roofs torn off, brick and structural damage to several additional homes, 50 to 75 trees knocked down, 38 cars damaged at a car dealership, significant roof and water damage to a middle school and administration building, and significant structural damage to a store complex northwest of Blooming Grove.
An EF1 tornado was confirmed in Hellam Township, between Hallam and Wrightsville, by a NWS storm survey. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 90 mph, with a path length of just under two miles and a maximum path width of 100 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
462,924
Population (ACS)
$249K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| 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 |
| Feb 6, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in York County, Pennsylvania?
910 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $33.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in York County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 583 recorded events — 64.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed York County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover York County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include York County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is York County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates York County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the York 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
- Wyoming County 205
- Westmoreland County 1,707
- Wayne County 308
- Washington County 1,017
- Warren County 403
- Venango County 598
Cite this page
“York County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/york-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.