280
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$9.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Adams County, Pennsylvania: 280 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #536 nationally and #41 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Adams County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Adams County is the 2010s, when 95 of the county's 280 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 Adams County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 70.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #536 for this hazard and #41 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 82.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Adams County with 80 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 1987 | 87 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | HAMPTON | 52 | $30K |
| Mar 16, 2026 | YORK SPGS | 52 | $5K |
| Sep 25, 2025 | TRUST | 52 | $1K |
| May 16, 2025 | ROUND TOP | 52 | $5K |
| Apr 20, 2025 | LITTLESTOWN | 61 | $20K |
| Apr 15, 2025 | GETTYSBURG | 52 | $4K |
| Jul 16, 2024 | MC SHERRYSTOWN | 52 | $6K |
| Jun 29, 2024 | IDAVILLE | 52 | $1K |
| Jun 27, 2024 | LITTLESTOWN | 52 | $4K |
| Apr 15, 2024 | HAMPTON | 52 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Adams County
- Hail 52
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and wires were knocked down in Gettysburg. Within the Gettysburg National Military Park, thunderstorm winds blew down a large limb which landed on and severely damaged a marble monument. Damage was estimated at $150,000.
A severe thunderstorm microburst produced straight line wind damage near the town of East Berlin, Pennsylvania on Aug 6 at 725 PM EDT. Maximum wind speeds were estimated between 90 and 100 mph. The most significant damage occurred at a property on the 800 block of Rife Rd, where the roof was completely ripped off of a home that was approximately 250 years old. One of the exterior walls collapsed outward on the second story of a newer addition to the home. An RV was flipped and rolled over at a nearby property, where several steel panels were also ripped off the roof of a long barn. An empty trailer from a semi was flipped alongside Rife Rd. Isolated tree damage was observed along a 1-mile stretch from Gladfelter Rd to Roland Rd south to north, and between Fish and Game Rd and Rife Rd west to east.
Thunderstorm winds estimated between 70 and 80 mph tore-off a portion of the roof from the Woodside Vista apartment complex on 240 Ram Drive in Conewago Township just west of Hanover. Damaging winds also downed 8 utility poles along Route 194 near Mount Pleasant Road, causing thousands of power outages. Extensive water damage occurred at the apartment complex.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Adams County, Pennsylvania?
280 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Adams County between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Adams County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Adams County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Adams 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 Adams County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/adams-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.