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Adams, PA; Bedford, PA; Blair, PA; Cambria, PA; Cumberland, PA; Dauphin, PA; Franklin, PA; Fulton, PA; Huntingdon, PA; Juniata, PA; Mifflin, PA; Perry, PA; Snyder, PA; Somerset, PA; Union, PA; York, PA
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Bedford, PA; Blair, PA; Cambria, PA; Cumberland, PA; Franklin, PA; Fulton, PA; Huntingdon, PA; Juniata, PA; Mifflin, PA; Perry, PA; Somerset, PA
Bedford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 267 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,989 nationally and #54 in Pennsylvania.
267
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Bedford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bedford County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 82 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 247 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bedford County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $963K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bedford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 164 | 0 | $438K | 70 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $10K | 2.75 | 1989–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 2 | $205K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $963K | F1 | 1991–2025 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Bedford 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: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-11-08 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-04-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bedford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | HYNDMAN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | OSTERBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | Tornado | WOLFSBURG | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Water was reported in homes and covering parts of main street in Coledale.||A preliminary total of 20 structures reported minor damage with a total of 42 structures impacted. Damage was estimated at $197,460 for public facilities.
The York Road Tornado (EF1) occurred in southeastern Bedford County during the evening hours of June 17, 2025 with estimated maximum wind speeds at 95 mph, with a path width of 175 yards and a path length of 1.1 miles. The tornado began just northeast of the intersection of Robinsonville Road and Sideling Hill Creek Road, causing tree damage as it continued to parallel Sideling Hill Creek Road. Multiple softwood and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted along both sides of upper York Road, with power line poles and wires being knocked down near a residence on upper York Road. There were also multiple uprooted softwood and hardwood trees along lower York Road. The tornado first crossed upper York Road and then crossed Shreveport Road northeast of the intersection with York Road. The tornado then crossed the East Branch of Sideling Hill Creek, producing additional tree damage before dissipating west of Browning Road. No injuries or deaths were reported due to the York Road Tornado.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 80 mph knocked down multiple trees, toppled a metal corn crib, pulled roofs and barn doors off of outbuildings and moved some smaller outbuildings building off their foundations.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,513
Population (ACS)
$179K
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 |
| Jan 10, 2013 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bedford County, Pennsylvania?
267 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $1.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bedford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 164 recorded events — 61.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bedford County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bedford County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bedford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bedford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bedford County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bedford 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
- Beaver County 840
- Berks County 1,349
- Armstrong County 510
- Blair County 304
- Allegheny County 2,357
- Bradford County 620
Cite this page
“Bedford County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/bedford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.