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Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1950 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
39
Tornado reports
192
Hail reports
166
Floods since 1996
1,177
All events
14
Deaths
$44.2M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Lancaster County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 37 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
A man was killed in Sadsbury Township when a severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked a large tree limb down, which struck him as he was operating a tractor.
Heavy rainfall led to flooding along Cabin Drive near Ephrata during the early morning hours of December 18, 2023. A direct fatality was reported when a 73-year old male drove into the flood waters and drowned during the pre-dawn hours.
On an unseasonably warm afternoon with highs in the low to mid 80s, an infant left unattended in a car in West Hempfield Township, Lancaster County was found dead from asphyxia due to hyperthermia.
A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down a large branch along the 100 block of Sawmill Road in Providence Township, with one fatality reported.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 21 to 28 inches were observed across the county, along with near-blizzard conditions. A 70-year old Willow Street man and a 76-year old Elizabethtown man died of cardiac arrest while clearing snow at their homes.
Two boys were struck by lightning while running across a field after getting out of the Little Conowingo Creek in Fulton Township near Peach Bottom in Lancaster County. Authorities said the boys were swimming with friends near Nottingham and Soapstone Roads when a thunderstorm mo…
The Susquehanna River at Marietta crested in major flood stage at 58.16 feet. Flood stage is 49.0 feet. This is the 4th highest crest on record. The Conestoga River at Lancaster crested in major flood stage at 21.30 feet. Flood stage is 11.0 feet. This is the 2nd highest crest on…
A 13-year-old boy was killed by lightning in Lancaster County. The lightning death occurred around 1915 EDT in a farm field along the 1100 block of Bartsville Road in Sadsbury Township. The Lancaster County Coroner's Office reported the boy was baling hay with his father, who was…
Thunderstorm winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down trees and utility wires on Clover Hill Road in Manor Township. A 53-year-old woman was found dead in her yard on the 2100 block of Clover Hill Road around 1300 EDT. Police suspect that the women left her residence to investiga…
A seventeen year male was killed and his girlfriend was injured when a three foot wide oak tree landed and crushed their vehicle on Cooks Landing Road in Fulton Township. (M17V)
The National Weather Service in State College, PA along with Lancaster County Emergency Management officials conducted a storm survey in the southwestern part of Lancaster County. The survey confirmed an EF1 tornado affected portions of southwest and south-central Lancaster Count…
A microburst produced straight line winds of 70 to 90 mph, producing a 9 mile path of wind damage that was about 1/2 a mile in width.
A survey team from the National Weather Service in State College confirmed an EF-2 tornado near White Horse in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County on February 24, 2016. The tornado touched down one-half mile southwest of the intersection of Amish Road and Spring Garden Road then…
The National Weather Service in State College confirmed an EF-1 tornado, with peak winds around 95 mph, near Rohrerstown in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. The tornado touched down around 12:40 am on September 30, 2015. The tornado tracked from southeast to northwest a…
Heavy rains struck many parts of Lancaster County, causing flooding of many areas. Hardest hit were northern sections of the county. Five to six inches of rain fell late Sunday afternoon and evening in Lititz, the community hardest hit by flooding. Scores of homes and businesses …
Hurricane Floyd moved inland across North Carolina before sunrise on Thursday, September 16th, accelerated northward over eastern Virginia during the morning, crossed eastern Maryland by Thursday afternoon, and reached Long Island by evening. In its wake, heavy rains fell across …
Tornado EF1 Tornado
An EF-1 tornado occurred near Kirkwood on the evening of June 14th. The maximum wind speed was estimated to be 100 mph and the tornado had a maximum path width of 30 yards. Tree damage associated with the tornado was first noted along Wesley Road between Puseyville Road and Noble…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A strong thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 50 mph knocked wires down approximately 3 miles east-northeast of Safe Harbor.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A strong thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 50 mph knocked wires down near Wakefield.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A line of severe thunderstorms, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple trees across Rohrerstown and Millersville.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A line of severe thunderstorms, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down multiple wires near Safe Harbor.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought persisted for Lancaster County through the month of June 2026, and a Drought Watch was upgraded to a Drought Warning for the county from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked trees and wires down on Rohrerstown Road in East Hempfield Township.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked a large tree down onto two vehicles, blocking the intersection of Janet Avenue and Fountain Avenue in Manheim Township. The storm also knocked down trees and power lines throughout the surrounding area.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked a tree onto a house near the city of Lancaster.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked trees and wires down at the intersection of Charlestown Road and PA 741 north of Millersville.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked down trees and power lines throughout Paradise.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 60 mph knocked down trees and power lines near the intersection of Snake Lane and Old Philadelphia Pike approximately 3 miles north of Gap.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted across much of Lancaster County through May 2026. Precipitation for the month of May 2026 largely remained near climatological averages for much of the county; however, prolonged dry conditions over many months allowed for drought conditio…
Drought Drought
Drier than average conditions over the course of multiple months lead to the addition of severe (D2) drought across conditions persisted across much of eastern Lancaster County during the second half of April 2026. Drier than average conditions were observed throughout the first …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The ASOS at the Lancaster Airport measured a maximum wind gust of 66 mph as a line of severe thunderstorms moved through.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A line of severe thunderstorms producing wind gusts estimated between 70 and 80 mph caused significant roof damage to a single family home on South Custer Avenue in New Holland.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A line of severe thunderstorms producing wind gusts estimated between 70 and 80 mph caused significant damage to a barn as well as to a house near Terre Hill. Multiple trees were also knocked down in the area.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A line of severe thunderstorms producing wind gusts estimated at 70 mph knocked trees down onto wires along Lincoln Highway approximately 2 miles west-northwest of Gap.
A light wintry mix fell across Lancaster County from the early morning of March 3, 2026 into the early afternoon. The winter weather conditions caused a multi-vehicle crash on the West Ferry Bridge on the westbound side of US-30 in West Hempfield Township. There were 6 vehicles i…
Light snow associated with a coastal system began during the early morning hours of February 22, 2026 become heavier during the evening hours and into the morning hours of February 23rd across Lancaster County. Lingering light snow did occur throughout the day on February 23rd be…
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Heavy snow began in the evening of January 24 and continued into the evening of January 25, with most of Lancaster County seeing 8-10 inches of snow and sleet. The highest snowfall total in the county occurred near Denver, where 13 inches was measured.
High Wind High Wind
High winds began during the afternoon hours of December 29th and continued into the evening hours with the highest wind gust, measured at 58 mph, being observed in Manheim during the early evening hours of December 29th. Gusty winds continued into the morning hours of December 30…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A line of gusty showers produced a 62 mph wind gust at Lancaster Airport.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snow fell across Lancaster County from the afternoon of December 13 through the afternoon of December 14. Most of the county saw 3 to 5 inches of snow with localized amounts as high as 7 inches.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked a tree down that fell into the garage of a residence where it landed on the car of the resident southwest of East Petersburg. No injuries were reported.
Strong Wind Strong Wind
Gusty winds behind a cold front produced multiple hours of wind gusts between 25 and 40 mph across Lancaster County on October 20, 2025. Gusty winds began during the late morning and continued to increase into the afternoon hours, where a maximum wind gust of 38 mph was measured …
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Water was reported to be across the roadway at Pleasure Road and East Walnut Street in the city of Lancaster.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Multiple reports of water across the roadway resulted in the closure of New Holland Avenue between Lancaster and Eden.
Tornado EF0 Tornado
An EF-0 tornado with an estimated peak wind of 70 mph occurred southeast of Collins, PA on the evening of Thursday, September 4, 2025. It lifted the roof off of a dugout at the Solanco Youth Baseball Association and then continued across Kirkwood Pike, where it caused minor crop …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm producing wind gusts estimated at 70 mph uprooted multiple trees approximately 3 miles southeast of Quarryville.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 1 |
| 2025 | 92 | 2 |
| 2024 | 27 | 0 |
| 2023 | 32 | 1 |
| 2022 | 31 | 1 |
| 2021 | 43 | 0 |
| 2020 | 31 | 0 |
| 2019 | 43 | 2 |
| 2018 | 27 | 0 |
| 2017 | 22 | 0 |
| 2016 | 31 | 1 |
| 2015 | 19 | 1 |
| 2014 | 23 | 0 |
| 2013 | 28 | 0 |
| 2012 | 38 | 1 |
| 2011 | 30 | 0 |
| 2010 | 65 | 1 |
| 2009 | 37 | 1 |
| 2008 | 22 | 0 |
| 2007 | 33 | 0 |
| 2006 | 42 | 0 |
| 2005 | 16 | 0 |
| 2004 | 46 | 3 |
| 2003 | 24 | 0 |
| 2002 | 28 | 0 |
| 2001 | 19 | 1 |
| 2000 | 25 | 2 |
| 1999 | 19 | 0 |
| 1998 | 24 | 1 |
| 1997 | 16 | 0 |
| 1996 | 26 | 0 |
| 1995 | 15 | 2 |
| 1994 | 11 | 0 |
| 1993 | 5 | 0 |
| 1992 | 11 | 0 |
| 1991 | 9 | 1 |
| 1990 | 8 | 1 |
| 1989 | 11 | 2 |
| 1988 | 9 | 0 |
| 1987 | 8 | 0 |
| 1986 | 13 | 0 |
| 1985 | 6 | 2 |
| 1984 | 5 | 0 |
| 1983 | 5 | 0 |
| 1982 | 6 | 0 |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | 10 | 1 |
| 1979 | 7 | 1 |
| 1978 | 4 | 0 |
| 1977 | 6 | 0 |
| 1976 | 5 | 1 |
| 1975 | 4 | 0 |
| 1974 | 4 | 1 |
| 1973 | 3 | 0 |
| 1971 | 4 | 0 |
| 1970 | 5 | 2 |
| 1968 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967 | 2 | 0 |
| 1966 | 2 | 0 |
| 1965 | 4 | 0 |
| 1963 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961 | 3 | 2 |
| 1960 | 3 | 0 |
| 1959 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | 1 | 1 |
| 1956 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953 | 1 | 1 |
| 1950 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Lancaster County, measured to its path.
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