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Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history spans 1,707 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #24 nationally and #2 in Pennsylvania.
1,707
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
78
Direct injuries
$295.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history averages 23.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 616 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 127 events fall before 1990 and 1,580 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $268.1M 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 Westmoreland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,013 | 3 | $10.1M | 95 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 291 | 0 | $1.2M | 2.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 238 | 1 | $15.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 84 | 0 | $550K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 49 | 1 | $268.1M | F4 | 1954–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Lightning | 13 | 3 | $113K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-06-03 | EF4 | 0 | 140 | 11.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-07-11 | EF3 | 1 | 17 | 11.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 38.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 45.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Westmoreland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2019 | Lightning | WELTYTOWN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| May 12, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 2 | $100K |
| Jun 20, 2001 | Lightning | LIGONIER | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| May 18, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Flash Flood | RILLTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTH GREENSBURG | 1 | 0 | $150K |
| Sep 28, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | MURRYSVILLE | 0 | 6 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency management reported large trees down in Unity township south of Greensburg. One large tree fell on a moving vehicle driven by a 37 year old male. The tree trapped the driver in the vehicle. Rescue crews removed him from the vehicle and he was pronouned dead at 5:47 PM EST.
A thunderstorm microburst passed across Westmoreland County, leaving a path of damage along its entire route. The greatest amount of damage occurred in the Irwin and North Huntington areas. However, damage also occurred in Jeanette, Greensburg, Latrobe and Derry. Just a few miles west of Greensburg in the Hempfield Township area, a man was killed when a tree was uprooted and fell on the car he was riding in. The driver and another passenger in the care were also injured. The width of the microburst appeared to be the widest through the Irwin area where it reached close to 700 yards. Hundreds of trees were either uprooted or snapped. Many utility poles and wires were also knocked down or snapped. There was damage to several roofs, porches and decks. One roof over the back porch of a house was lifted up and over the house and deposited in the front yard. there were many houses that lost shingles, siding and awnings. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 75 MPH.
One man died when he was swept into a storm drain. The incident happened in Sewickley Township near Clay Pike. His wife told police that her husband had just finished clearing the drain of leaves and sticks when he got pulled down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
352,500
Population (ACS)
$204K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Apr 16, 2010 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORMS | DR |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Greensburg 126
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?
1,707 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $295.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Westmoreland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 1,013 recorded events — 59.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Westmoreland County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Westmoreland County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Westmoreland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Westmoreland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Westmoreland County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Westmoreland 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
- Wayne County 308
- Wyoming County 205
- Washington County 1,017
- York County 910
- Warren County 403
- Venango County 598
Cite this page
“Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/westmoreland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.