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Bucks County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 911 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #199 nationally and #8 in Pennsylvania.
911
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
64
Direct injuries
$143.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Bucks County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bucks County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 12.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 276 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 831 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bucks County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $96.0M 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 Bucks County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 494 | 0 | $1.3M | 95 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 122 | 12 | $96.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 103 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1975–2023 |
| Lightning | 65 | 0 | $3.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 52 | 0 | $32.2M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 42 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Tornado | 29 | 0 | $10.5M | F2 | 1950–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2021 |
Decade by decade
Bucks County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-07-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 18 | 20.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bucks County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2023 | Flash Flood | BUCKMANVILLE | 7 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 1996 | Flash Flood | SOUTHEAST | 2 | 0 | $14.5M |
| Sep 1, 2021 | Flash Flood | AQUETONG | 1 | 0 | $25.0M |
| May 30, 2019 | Flash Flood | LEVITTOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 8, 2005 | Flash Flood | NORTHWEST PORTION | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 15 | $22.0M |
| Aug 18, 2019 | Lightning | TREVOSE | 0 | 9 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2001 | Lightning | PERKASIE | 0 | 7 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Catastrophic flash flooding occurred in Upper Makefield Township, resulting in the loss of seven lives. A reliable rain gauge located within the township indicated that 4.64 inches of rain fell during the event which lasted less than 2 hours. Widespread roadway flooding occurred with many roads becoming impassable. Numerous water rescues took place in the township. The worst of the flooding occurred along Hough's Creek. The creek rose rapidly and the rushing water carried away many vehicles, most along Taylorsville Road which parallels the Delaware Canal. Eleven vehicles were reported to have been swept into the creek. Eight individual were rescued from their vehicle and two from the creek. Unfortunately, seven people perished either while trapped in their vehicle or while attempting to escape the flood waters.||The Taylorsville Road Bridge over Hough's Creek was structurally compromised. PA Route 532 between Stonebridge Crossing Road and Wrightstown Road was damaged severely by the raging flood waters from Hough's Creek.
Widespread flash flooding occurred in upper Bucks County with many road closures and vehicles stranded. There were numerous water rescues. One flood related fatality was reported in Milford Township. Most waterways in the county overflowed, including the Delaware River (with a highly unusual quick response to the runoff), Neshaminy Creek, Tohickon Creek and the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek. Many buildings and homes were flooded.
The local fire department pulled a male teenager out of the flood swollen Mill Creek in Middletown Township. The individual was kayaking with another male teenage when he fell out of the kayak. The victim was pulled from the creek but later died at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. A law enforcement official indicated that the creek's high and fast moving water likely contributed to the victims death.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
647,461
Population (ACS)
$446K
Median home value
27
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 |
| Jan 10, 2013 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Langhorne 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bucks County, Pennsylvania?
911 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 12 direct deaths and $143.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bucks County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 494 recorded events — 54.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bucks County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bucks County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bucks County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bucks County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bucks County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bucks 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
- Bradford County 620
- Butler County 903
- Blair County 304
- Cambria County 473
- Berks County 1,349
- Cameron County 98
Cite this page
“Bucks County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/bucks-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.