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Montgomery County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 1,119 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #97 nationally and #5 in Pennsylvania.
1,119
Recorded events
19
Direct deaths
63
Direct injuries
$230.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 16.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 357 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 1,041 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $139.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Montgomery County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 623 | 3 | $3.0M | 96 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 192 | 9 | $139.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 132 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 67 | 3 | $24.9M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 48 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 34 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Tornado | 19 | 4 | $59.9M | F3 | 1956–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2017 |
Decade by decade
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-07-27 | EF3 | 3 | 25 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-09-01 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-08-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Montgomery County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 1994 | Tornado | 3 | 25 | $50.0M | |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 3 | 8 | $12.0M |
| Sep 1, 2021 | Flash Flood | KING OF PRUSSIA | 2 | 0 | $20.0M |
| Sep 8, 1996 | Flash Flood | SOUTHERN | 2 | 0 | $20.0M |
| Sep 1, 2021 | Tornado | FLOURTOWN | 1 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Aug 4, 2020 | Flash Flood | WORCESTER | 1 | 0 | $4K |
| Jun 3, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WYNNEWOOD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST MANAYUNK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Montgomery County with many road closures and vehicles stranded. Numerous water rescues took place. There were two flood related fatalities, one in Skippack and one in Bridgeport. Many buildings and homes were flooded. Most waterways in the county overflowed their banks, including the Schuylkill River, Perkiomen Creek and Wissahickon Creek.
A 5-year-old girl with autism was swept away by flood waters running through a tributary of Towamencin Creek after wandering away from her nearby family home. Rescuers found the victim's body adjacent to the creek in Fischer's Park after a 22-hour search.
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Montgomery County with many road closures and vehicles stranded. Numerous water rescues took place. Many buildings and homes were flooded. Most waterways in the county overflowed their banks, including the Schuylkill River, Perkiomen Creek and Wissahickon Creek.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
867,573
Population (ACS)
$437K
Median home value
29
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 |
| Mar 23, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Feb 6, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jan 10, 2013 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania?
1,119 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 19 direct deaths and $230.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Montgomery County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 623 recorded events — 55.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Montgomery County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Montgomery County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Montgomery County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Montgomery County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Montgomery County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Montgomery 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
- Monroe County 526
- Montour County 113
- Mifflin County 197
- Northampton County 700
- Mercer County 808
- Northumberland County 331
Cite this page
“Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/montgomery-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.