583
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$7.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in York County, Pennsylvania: 583 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #68 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in York County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in York County is the 2010s, when 182 of the county's 583 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the York County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 64.1% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #68 for this hazard and #8 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 97.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in York County with 150 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 1986 | 0 | 1 | 15 | $0 | |
| Aug 10, 1998 | YORK | 51 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 1990 | 0 | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| Jul 28, 2021 | WEST YORK | 52 | 0 | 6 | $2K |
| Apr 9, 1995 | Central | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 1994 | York | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | SHREWSBURY | 52 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Aug 5, 2012 | WEST YORK | 50 | 0 | 1 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | WAGO JCT | 52 | $5K |
| Mar 16, 2026 | SEVEN VLYS | 61 | $5K |
| Dec 19, 2025 | SEVEN VLYS | 52 | $80K |
| Sep 25, 2025 | SHILOH | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | ORE VLY | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 17, 2025 | RAILROAD | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2025 | MT ROYAL | 52 | $3K |
| Jul 9, 2025 | FELTON | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 9, 2025 | CROSS RDS | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 9, 2025 | JACOBUS | 52 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from York County
- Hail 164
- Flash Flood 96
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst produced straight line winds of 70 to 80 mph, producing a nine mile swath of wind damage that was approximately one mile in width across east-central York County and into far western Lancaster County. Numerous trees were toppled or snapped along the damage path, and several structures sustained roof damage. The damage path ran from just northwest of Freysville in York County east-northeastward to Columbia in Lancaster County.
Dozens of trees and multiple utility poles and power lines were downed by peak wind gusts estimated between 75 and 80 mph. Some trees fell onto houses in the Pleasant Acres Development. A roof was also blown off a storage shed. A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service determined that the storm damage was caused by straight line winds. The damage started near Route 24/Mount Zion Road and ended near the town of Hallam.
Straightline winds associated with a microburst damaged a handful of structures in Hopewell Township, just north of Stewartstown. Maximum winds were estimated to be 75 to 85 mph, with a maximum path width of 200 yards and a path length over three miles.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in York County, Pennsylvania?
583 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in York County between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in York County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in York County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for York County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in York County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/york-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.