Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 364 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,412 nationally and #42 in Pennsylvania.
364
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 329 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Schuylkill County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 249 | 1 | $730K | 83 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $500 | 2.5 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $160K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $3.2M | F2 | 1953–2024 |
| Flood | 12 | 1 | $4.0M | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-09-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-10 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-11-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Schuylkill County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2011 | Flood | MARSTOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jul 15, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 14, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 6, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Nov 10, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding on the Swatara Creek resulted in one fatality when a 74 year-old man drove around a flood barrier on Route 645 (Geary Wolfe Road) just south of Pine Grove and was swept away in the flood waters. A swift water rescue was attempted, but the man had already drowned in his truck.
A NWS survey team confirmed a long-track EF1 tornado via PSP helicopter in Schuylkill County. The EF1 tornado occurred during the late evening on 26 May 2011 between 2020-2045 EDT. The tornado touched down about one-half mile west of Cressona in North Manheim Township along Beaver Creek Road. The tornado produced a sporadic path of damage spanning approximately 17 miles, lifting and touching down several times before finally dissipating about 1 mile northeast of Kepner in West Penn Township. Approximately 20 residential homes were damaged, 4 of which suffered major damage. In addition, 12 barns and outbuildings were damaged. The tornado downed more than 1000 trees, with the bulk of the damage occurring to the east of Schuylkill Haven north of Route 443 through North Manheim, West Brunswick and East Brunswick Townships. Significant tree damage was also observed in Connor and Hecla. The damage indicators surveyed were consistent with winds of 110 mph and a tornado rating of a strong EF1. There were no injuries or fatalities.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain and flash flooding in Pine Grove in southern Schuylkill County. Numerous roads were flooded and closed in the town, and the Mayor issued a disaster declaration. Two to three feet of water covered Tulpehocken Street in Pine Grove as the Swatara Creek rose seven feet in about 4 hours and exceeded bankful. In addition, over 200 basements were flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
143,558
Population (ACS)
$153K
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 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
364 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $8.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Schuylkill County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 249 recorded events — 68.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Schuylkill County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Schuylkill County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Schuylkill County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Schuylkill County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Schuylkill County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Schuylkill 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
- Potter County 247
- Snyder County 205
- Pike County 219
- Somerset County 416
- Philadelphia County 643
- Sullivan County 178
Cite this page
“Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/schuylkill-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.