Forest County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 166 recorded events between 1974 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 74.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,629 nationally and #63 in Pennsylvania.
166
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$25.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Forest County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Forest County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 64 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 153 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Forest County, Pennsylvania record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $25.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Forest County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $495K | 65 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 16 | 0 | $10K | 2 | 1991–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Tornado | 10 | 7 | $25.1M | F4 | 1985–2017 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $32K | 0 | 2009–2014 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Forest County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 16 | 125 | 56.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 7 | 30 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 4 | 40 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Forest County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 7 | 30 | $0 | |
| Jun 27, 2005 | Lightning | TIONESTA | 1 | 7 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | TIONESTA | 0 | 1 | $1K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F1 tornado touched down just southwest of the town of Duhring. The tornado continued moving along a sporadic path to the northeast, exiting Forest County approximately 2 miles northeast of Duhring.As the tornado passed near Duhring it reached its maximum path width of nearly 300 yards. Winds estimated at 90 MPH downed around 250 trees. Several of these trees fell on cabins, homes and vehicles.
Severe thunderstorm cut a swath of destruction from West Hickory to Endeavor. Large limbs were downed in West Hickory. The greatest damage occurred in East Hickory. Numerous trees and branches were downed. Some trees were uprooted. Power lines were also downed. A tree fell onto a house causing minor damage. Near Endeavor a tree fell across SR 666.
A narrow, convergent path of intense damage was documented via aerial imagery after being discovered and documented by Forest Service personnel. Damage consisted entirely of uprooted and snapped hardwood and softwood trees. This is segment one of a county-crossing track into Elk County, PA.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,715
Population (ACS)
$115K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 10, 2013 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION FRANCES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Forest County, Pennsylvania?
166 events are on record between 1974 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $25.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Forest County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 123 recorded events — 74.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Forest County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Forest County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Forest County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Forest County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Forest County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Forest 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
- Fayette County 767
- Franklin County 465
- Erie County 711
- Fulton County 131
- Elk County 239
- Greene County 357
Cite this page
“Forest County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/forest-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.