McKean County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 348 recorded events between 1967 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 72.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,503 nationally and #45 in Pennsylvania.
348
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$72.7M
Property damage
The record
What the McKean County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McKean County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 100 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 314 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McKean County, Pennsylvania record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $45.7M 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 McKean County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 252 | 0 | $820K | 78 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $30K | 3 | 1967–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $25.9M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 5 | 4 | $45.7M | F4 | 1985–2003 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
McKean County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McKean County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 1985 | Tornado | 4 | 40 | $0 | |
| Jul 25, 2005 | Lightning | BRADFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 1999 | Flash Flood | BRADFORD | 0 | 1 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Between 8 and 9 inches of rain fell in a localized area around Bradford in little more than 12 hours. Rain overnight on the 19th dropped about 3.5 inches in the Bradford area up to sunrise. Thunderstorms developed in the early afternoon and continued to move repeatedly across the city. Before the rain ended, an additional 5-1/2 inches of water fell, causing major flooding across the mountainous area that surrounds the community. Two businesses sustained major damage. KOA Speer, an electronics component manufacturer, lost some $8 million in damage to buildings and inventory. A grocery store in the downtown experienced a roof collapse and a stock of $500,000 was lost. Two hundred and eleven homes and 53 businesses sustained minor to major damage. Twenty-two structures had major damage and 8 were destroyed. At least 10 water rescues were made, but there were no fatalities. One person was injured as he helped an elderly female from the rapidly rising water.
Heavy rains caused flash flooding in McKean County. An initial batch of rain began across the county during the mid afternoon, with reports of minor flooding including a road closure. Later in the evening, another batch of heavy rain caused rapid flooding in and around Bradford. Numerous roads were closed, and a Roller Skating Rink sustained significant damage.
Law enforcement reported numerous trees and power lines down in Bradford. McKean county emergency management reported the storm packed winds upwards of 50 to 70 mph…toppling more than 100 trees and damaging close to 60 homes. Two trees fell onto parked vehicles. Pennsylvania Electric representatives said that there were 5,000 residents without power during the peak of the storm with nearly 200 customers without power for over 24 hours. A large tank inside the American Refining Group's Refinery was buckled due to strong winds and a roof was torn off a boiler house. ||County officials said that no major injuries occurred as a result of the storms. |
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,904
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Hurricane | TROPICAL DEPRESSION IVAN | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McKean County, Pennsylvania?
348 events are on record between 1967 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $72.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McKean County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 252 recorded events — 72.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McKean County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McKean County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McKean County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McKean County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McKean County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McKean 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
- Lycoming County 631
- Mercer County 808
- Luzerne County 599
- Mifflin County 197
- Lehigh County 694
- Monroe County 526
Cite this page
“McKean County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/mckean-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.