Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 444 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,085 nationally and #36 in Pennsylvania.
444
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$117.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 140 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 416 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $109.9M 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 Lackawanna County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 249 | 0 | $1.4M | 75 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 84 | 2 | $109.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $25K | 2.75 | 1959–2024 |
| Lightning | 15 | 1 | $137K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $773K | F1 | 1991–2023 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Lackawanna 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: 10 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-02-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lackawanna County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9, 2023 | Flash Flood | CHINCHILLA | 2 | 2 | $2.5M |
| Sep 13, 2001 | Lightning | SPRINGBROOK CORNERS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 1996 | Lightning | DUNMORE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 28, 2002 | Lightning | ELMHURST | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | Lightning | CHILDS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | SCRANTON | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jun 24, 1985 | Hail | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man and woman succumbed to flash flooding as they attempted to evacuate their vehicle while stuck in the railroad overpass crossing Shady Lane. Flood waters rapidly filled their vehicle and the woman was swept downstream. The man was also swept away and sustained grave injuries after being slammed into a sign post and guardrail. He died a few days later. Severe flooding also stranded several other vehicles in this immediate area.
Heavy rain with amounts of 4.5 to 7.5 inches caused flash flooding. The rain which fell from the 16th to the 18th was due to the remnants of hurricane Ivan. All creeks and streams were out of their banks. In addition, the Lackawanna River had major flooding. Almost 1000 homes and over 30 businesses were damaged. A 40 foot deep sinkhole developed on Pittston Avenue.
Leggetts Creek flooding from South Abington Township to the Lackawanna River in Scranton. Severe flooding of residental structures on Leggett Street, Gilbert Street and Rockwell Street is occurring with evacuations underway.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
216,146
Population (ACS)
$202K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 27, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 12, 2011 | Flood | TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR |
| Sep 8, 2011 | Flood | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania?
444 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $117.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lackawanna County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 249 recorded events — 56.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lackawanna County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lackawanna County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lackawanna County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lackawanna County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lackawanna County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lackawanna 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
- Juniata County 152
- Lancaster County 989
- Jefferson County 592
- Lawrence County 594
- Indiana County 622
- Lebanon County 427
Cite this page
“Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/lackawanna-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.