Wayne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 308 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,743 nationally and #51 in Pennsylvania.
308
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$96.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 88 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 298 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $89.7M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 1 | $1.3M | 100 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 57 | 1 | $89.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $50K | 2.75 | 1985–2023 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $430K | F2 | 1991–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2000–2007 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2006 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $50.0M |
| Aug 16, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE ARIEL | 1 | 0 | $45K |
| Jul 28, 2007 | Lightning | HAMLIN | 0 | 3 | $1K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorms continued to plow eastward across northern Pennsylvania and produced more extensive wind damage over southern sections of the county. Many large trees and power lines were toppled in an area from Lake Ariel eastward to the Hawley vicinity. A man was killed while sailing on Lake Wallenpaupack when strong winds capsized his vessel.
Heavy rain with amounts of 5 to 7 inches caused flash flooding. The rain which fell from the 16th to the 18th was due to the remnants of hurricane Ivan. Most creeks and streams went out of their banks. In addition, the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers had major flooding. At least 1000 homes were damaged, 10 of which were completely destroyed. The county Emergency Management Agency had damage to their office in the basement of the County Courthouse. Dozens of bridges were closed with 2 bridges destroyed. There were at least 50 roads that were damaged and /or closed due to the flooding.
1 to 3 inches of heavy rain in less than 6 hours caused flash flooding. The ground was already saturated due to several inches of rain that fell on September 2nd. Dyberry creek came out of its banks in many locations. Mount Pleasant, Dyberry, Damascus and Oregon Townships, and the Borough of Honesdale were the most affected. A few bridges were damaged. One bridge in Oregon Township will have to be replaced by a new bridge. Several roads were washed out. Many people had water in their basements.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
51,262
Population (ACS)
$242K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 1, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 12, 2011 | Flood | TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Pennsylvania?
308 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $96.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 175 recorded events — 56.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 1,017
- Westmoreland County 1,707
- Warren County 403
- Wyoming County 205
- Venango County 598
- York County 910
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.