560
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$17.0M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Butler County, Pennsylvania: 560 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #83 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Butler County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Butler County is the 2020s, when 167 of the county's 560 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 Butler County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 62.0% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #83 for this hazard and #9 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 97.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Butler County with 150 recorded events, while Feb 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 12, 2015 | JACKSVILLE | 50 | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Oct 14, 2003 | CRIDERS CORNERS | 87 | 0 | 6 | $1.0M |
| Jul 30, 1994 | Chicora | 0 | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Aug 22, 2017 | PORTERSVILLE | 50 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2026 | NORTH WASHINGTON | 50 | $2K |
| Mar 31, 2026 | EAU CLAIRE | 50 | $2K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | HILLDALE | 50 | $2K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | HIGHFIELD | 50 | $2K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | ZELIENOPLE | 50 | $15K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | PETROLIA | 50 | $5K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | MIDDLE LANCASTER | 50 | $1K |
| Jul 26, 2025 | WOODBINE | 50 | $2K |
| Jul 26, 2025 | COOPERSTOWN | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 26, 2025 | HERMAN | 50 | $6K |
Other hazards here
More from Butler County
- Hail 201
- Flash Flood 75
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst, estimated at 100 mph (87 kts), struck Cranberry Mall and nearby areas. Aluminum flag poles were bent to the ground. Trailer picked up and rolled by the wind, injuring 6 people. A total of 12 businesses were damaged, including a muffler shop, jewelry store, and bank, mainly between Routes 19 and 228. One house destroyed on Shady Oak Dr. Nine houses suffered major damage; 64 received minor damage. Roofing, siding, and windows broken. Dunkin Doughnuts on Route 19 hard hit. Its sign was found 5 miles north. Fox Run area off Rowan Rd also hit hard. Many large trees toppled or snapped. Recreational vehicle destroyed. Four vehicles at the muffler shop were crushed by debris. Witnesses described the sky as pitch black or green. At Fox Run, microburst was one quarter mile wide. 5500 customers lost electric power in Butler, Beaver, and Allegheny counties.
Thunderstorm wind downed trees and damaged several homes at Carbon Center. One home sustained minor damage to the roof. A window was also broken. A second home sustained major damage, with the roof partially blown off and some structural damage to the interior; loss was estimated at $20,000. A nearby mobile home had its gutters and flashing blown off. Two sheds were also damaged or destroyed. Trees were downed in the immediate area. A lawn chair was wrapped around a pole. A storm survey of the damaged area was conducted by Weather Service personnel from Pittsburgh. Damage was determined to be that of a microburst.
As Katrina moved north of the area (through northeast Ohio), a microburst hit the northern part of Sarver between 12 AM and 1215 AM EDT on the 31st. Numerous trees were toppled or snapped off. Microburst was 300 yards wide and sporadically half a mile in length. Maximum wind estimated 65 mph (57 kts). (KATRINA)
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Butler County, Pennsylvania?
560 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Butler County between 1961 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Butler County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Butler County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Butler 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 Butler County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/butler-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.