Northampton County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 700 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #404 nationally and #16 in Pennsylvania.
700
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$96.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Northampton County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Northampton County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 10.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 222 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 632 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Northampton County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $52.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Northampton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 389 | 1 | $3.4M | 87 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 99 | 0 | $52.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $250K | 2 | 1975–2025 |
| Lightning | 60 | 1 | $2.5M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 34 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 28 | 0 | $12.5M | 0 | 2006–2017 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $25.6M | F3 | 1973–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Wildfire | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2002 |
Decade by decade
Northampton County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-07-26 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-11-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Northampton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2009 | Lightning | FARMERSVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 6, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jul 19, 2011 | Lightning | KLECKNERSVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 27, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 20, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | GLENDON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | Lightning | WESTGATE HILLS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 15, 2004 | Lightning | BETHLEHEM | 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 53-year-old man collapsed and died while doing yard work in his backyard in Bethlehem Township. He was holding an electric trimmer when he was struck by lightning. Medical crews responded, administered CPR, then transported him to Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg Campus where he was pronounced dead.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning associated with a small cluster of thunderstorms rolled across Northampton County during the evening of the 25th. Lightning struck the steeple of the Great Shepard Christian Fellowship Church in Plainfield Township at 9:50 PM EDT. This resulted in a fire, which caused an estimated $250,000 in damage. In addition, lightning struck a saw mill in Upper Mount Bethel Township, sparking a fire at about 10:15 PM EDT. The saw mill was destroyed, which resulted in $1 million dollars in loss.
The Delaware River at Easton-Phillipsburg had minor flooding and was above its 22 foot flood stage from 843 p.m. EDT on the 28th through 1210 a.m. EDT on the 30th. It crested at 25.15 feet at 5 a.m. EDT on the 29th. The Lehigh River at Glendon was above its 12 foot flood stage from 1030 a.m. EDT through 222 p/m/ EDT on the 28th. It crested at 19.20 feet at 1 p.m. EDT. The Monocacy Creek at Bethlehem had moderate flooding and was above its 4.5 foot flood stage from 202 a.m. EDT on the 28th through 245 a.m. EDT on the 29th. It crested at 6.54 feet at 1 p.m. EDT on the 28th.|||Event rainfall totals included 6.55 inches in Bethlehem, 5.72 inches in Martins Creek and 4.94 inches in Nazareth.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
318,580
Population (ACS)
$309K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Nov 27, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 23, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jan 10, 2013 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bethlehem 122
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
700 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $96.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Northampton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 389 recorded events — 55.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Northampton County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Northampton County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Northampton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Northampton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Northampton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Northampton 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
- Montour County 113
- Northumberland County 331
- Montgomery County 1,119
- Perry County 287
- Monroe County 526
- Philadelphia County 643
Cite this page
“Northampton County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/northampton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.