Luzerne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 599 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #585 nationally and #23 in Pennsylvania.
599
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
63
Direct injuries
$304.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Luzerne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 8.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 177 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 67 events fall before 1990 and 532 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Luzerne County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $239.4M 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 Luzerne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 337 | 0 | $2.9M | 83 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 111 | 3 | $239.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $43K | 2.75 | 1958–2024 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $8.1M | F2 | 1960–2023 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $54.1M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 17 | 2 | $175K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2019 |
Decade by decade
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Luzerne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2006 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 3 | 0 | $100.0M |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Lightning | DURYEA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 1997 | Lightning | HAZLETON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 25 | $0 | |
| Jul 6, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Jun 14, 2018 | Tornado | BOULEVARD MANOR | 0 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Dec 1, 2006 | Tornado | HOBBIE | 0 | 5 | $1.0M |
| Jun 22, 2025 | Lightning | DURYEA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain with amounts of 4.0 to 6.5 inches caused major flash flooding. Almost all of the streams and creeks came out of their banks. In addition, the Susquehanna River also caused major flooding. Solomon's Creek in Wilkes-Barre Township was the first to flood. This creek caused businesses to close and people to evacuate. 4000 homes and dozens of businesses were damaged. Mercy Hospital had damage to its lower levels. The hardest hit areas were Shickshinny, Moconqua, Plains, and Plymouth Township.
Record flooding occurred along the Susquehanna River throughout the Wyoming Valley of northeast Pennsylvania. The river crested at Wilkes-Barre at 42.66 feet around 7:00 AM on September 8, 2011 as determined by a USGS high water mark survey. The previous record crest was 40.91 feet which dates back to the June 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood.
A severe thunderstorm moved across Luzerne County between 930 and|1030 pm on Wednesday June 13 2018, producing an EF2 tornado in |Wilkes-Barre Township around 1000 pm. The tornado touched down |at Mundy Street and Highland Park Boulevard near the Wyoming |Valley Mall, then traveled across Interstate 81 and up into the woods|on Wilkes-Barre Mountain. Tornado damage continued on a broken |path through the State Game Lands before dissipating near |Llewelyn Corners and Interstate 476. Numerous roofs were destroyed and |windows blown out throughout the shopping center. Some structures |were sheared off near their foundation. Power poles were snapped |with numerous lines down. Several signs were destroyed, and |debris was scattered throughout the region. One piece of sign was |found approximately 7 miles from the mall area. A total of 23 business were damaged, with some suffering major damage. Maximum estimated winds were at 130 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
327,675
Population (ACS)
$174K
Median home value
23
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 |
| 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 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
599 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $304.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Luzerne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 337 recorded events — 56.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Luzerne County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Luzerne County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Luzerne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Luzerne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Luzerne County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Luzerne 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
- Lehigh County 694
- Lycoming County 631
- Lebanon County 427
- McKean County 348
- Lawrence County 594
- Mercer County 808
Cite this page
“Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/luzerne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.