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Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 643 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #484 nationally and #19 in Pennsylvania.
643
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$137.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 9.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 214 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 600 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $124.2M 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 Philadelphia County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 329 | 2 | $5.5M | 87 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 142 | 4 | $124.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 74 | 0 | $3.2M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Hail | 45 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1978–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 29 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $4.4M | F2 | 1958–2021 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $117K | 0 | 1999–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 18 | 20.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-18 | EF0 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-18 | EF0 | 0 | 18 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Philadelphia County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | SHAWMONT | 2 | 0 | $20K |
| Sep 8, 2011 | Flash Flood | (PHL)PHILADELPHIA IN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2010 | Flash Flood | TACONY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 2004 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $4.2M |
| Jan 18, 1999 | Tornado | PHILADELPHIA | 0 | 18 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 12 | $0 | |
| Jul 23, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Philadelphia | 0 | 9 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A band of showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain caused flash flooding of smaller streams as well as poor drainage flooding in Philadelphia. It also caused the drowning death of a 27-year-old woman who was caught in flood waters in the East Germantown section of the city. She was discovered in the rear of her Sports Utility Vehicle at the intersection of Musgrave and Haines Streets on the morning of the 8th. The Wingohocking Creek, which is a creek that was buried underground during the 19th century had its waters back out of sewer grates and manhole covers in that section of the city. Godfrey Avenue and Wister Street also flooded in East Germantown. The wall of a church also collapsed. Most gaged creeks within Philadelphia flooded as well as the Schuylkill River.
Thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused flash flooding along the Pennypack Creek as well as poor drainage flooding in northeast Philadelphia. A 20-year-old man drowned while rafting on the swollen Pennypack Creek. During the morning, fire officials rescued a man stuck next to the pillar of a rail bridge near the intersection of Ashburner Street and Frankford Avenue on the creek. Later that day, two men fell into the water after their raft overturned near Winchester Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, but only one man survived. The Pennypack Creek at the Rhawn Street Bridge was above its 7 foot flood stage from 1018 a.m. EDT through 617 p.m. EDT EDT on the 13th. It crested at 9.1 feet at 4 p.m. EDT.
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Philadelphia with many roadways closed. Most of the waterways in the city overflowed their banks, including the Schuylkill River, Cobbs Creek, Wissahickon Creek, Frankford Creek and Pennypack Creek. Many buildings were flooded, especially in the Manayunk section of the city.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,579,706
Population (ACS)
$243K
Median home value
25
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Philadelphia 179
- Crescentville 155
- Torresdale 109
- Bustleton 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania?
643 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $137.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Philadelphia County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 329 recorded events — 51.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Philadelphia County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Philadelphia County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Philadelphia County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Philadelphia County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Philadelphia County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Philadelphia 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
- Perry County 287
- Pike County 219
- Northumberland County 331
- Potter County 247
- Northampton County 700
- Schuylkill County 364
Cite this page
“Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/philadelphia-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.