329
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
30
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: 329 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #361 nationally and #30 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Philadelphia County is the 2010s, when 103 of the county's 329 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Philadelphia County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 51.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #361 for this hazard and #30 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 88.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Philadelphia County with 86 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | SHAWMONT | 52 | 2 | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 7, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 12 | $0 | |
| Jul 23, 1995 | Philadelphia | 0 | 0 | 9 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2015 | PHILADELPHIA | 61 | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | CRESCENTVILLE | 50 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2015 | CRESCENTVILLE | 52 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 28, 2005 | (PHL)PHILADELPHIA IN | 60 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | PHILADELPHIA | 57 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | (PNE)NE ARPT PHILADE | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | PHILADELPHIA | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | OVERBROOK | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | (PHL)PHILADELPHIA IN | 52 | $0 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | (PNE)NE ARPT PHILADE | 51 | $0 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | SHAWMONT | 52 | $20K |
| Dec 19, 2025 | (PHL)PHILADELPHIA IN | 54 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2025 | (PHL)PHILADELPHIA IN | 54 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | BUSTLETON | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | (PNE)NE ARPT PHILADE | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Philadelphia County
- Flash Flood 142
- Flood 74
- Hail 45
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm struck Northeast Philadelphia Airport causing damage to a few areas at the airport. The roof of the main terminal building was damaged. The roof of a covered walkway leading west from the main terminal building was also damaged. Two small planes were damaged. A Cessna came loose and its right wing tip was pushed into the tail section of a Piper Warrior. The greatest damage was done to the Trans World Express hanger as two sections of its roof were blown out. The Trans World Avionics/Electric Shop also had damage. The cover of the roof was peeled back about 50 feet. Many of the ceiling tiles inside the building were blown out and allowed rain to fall into the building causing water damage to the shop. One hundred pound trash containers were tossed around. Lightning caused power outages to 22,000 persons within Philadelphia.
A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous trees in the southern half of Philadelphia. There were 184 calls of downed trees with the Southwest Philadelphia and Cobbs Creek areas hit the hardest. A few streets were blocked by downed trees. Downed trees also blocked some of the lanes on the Schuylkill Expressway. Part of the roof was torn from the New Light Beulah Baptist Church on Bainbridge Street and crushed two vehicles. Downed trees crushed a fence at Saint John Neumann Place in South Philadelphia. The awning of a banquet hall on West Oxford Street collapsed. The severe thunderstorm also lifted the tarp at Citizen Bank Baseball Park into the air. Trolley Wires were knocked down in the University City area.
A severe thunderstorm knocked a tree into a house on Wyalusing Avenue. Two families were displaced, but no injuries were reported. This was one of about a dozen trees that were knocked down in the southern part of Philadelphia.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania?
329 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Philadelphia County between 1969 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Philadelphia County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Philadelphia County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Philadelphia County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/philadelphia-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.