Erie County tornado history

23 tornadoes touched Erie County, Pennsylvania between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 31, 1985). Tornadoes here killed 12 and injured 104 people.

23tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

12killed · 104 injured

29.3 milongest path · 1971

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F05

(E)F19

(E)F26

(E)F31

(E)F42

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 31, 1985	F4	14 mi	400 yd	82	12
May 31, 1985	F4	28 mi	440 yd	0	0
Jun 2, 1971	F3	29.3 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jul 19, 1952	F2	5.6 mi	27 yd	0	0
Sep 18, 1977	F2	4.5 mi	10 yd	7	0
Nov 22, 1953	F2	2 mi	67 yd	2	0
Aug 16, 1997	F2	2 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 2, 1983	F2	1 mi	33 yd	0	0
Jun 9, 2025	EF2	1 mi	115 yd	0	0
May 28, 2013	EF1	17.8 mi	150 yd	2	0
May 28, 2013	EF1	1.7 mi	50 yd	5	0
Jul 15, 1970	F1	0.5 mi	167 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Jun 9, 2025	EF2	1 mi	115 yd	0	0
Aug 12, 2023	EF0	0.5 mi	20 yd	0	0
Nov 5, 2017	EF0	1.9 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 28, 2013	EF1	1.7 mi	50 yd	5	0
May 28, 2013	EF1	17.8 mi	150 yd	2	0
Jun 27, 2010	EF0	0.2 mi	75 yd	0	0
Jun 6, 2010	EF0	5.8 mi	50 yd	0	0
Aug 16, 1997	F2	2 mi	100 yd	0	0
Sep 25, 1994	F0	0.1 mi	30 yd	0	0
May 31, 1985	F4	14 mi	400 yd	82	12
May 31, 1985	F4	28 mi	440 yd	0	0
Jul 21, 1983	F1	0.2 mi	10 yd	0	0

Deadliest: May 31, 1985, F4, 12 killed.

Nearby counties

Crawford County, PA40 Ashtabula County, OH16 Chautauqua County, NY28 Warren County, PA18 Venango County, PA13 Mercer County, PA24 Forest County, PA10 Lake County, OH5

Questions

How many tornadoes has Erie County, Pennsylvania had?

23 tornadoes touched Erie County, Pennsylvania between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Erie County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 31, 1985, with a 14-mile path and 12 deaths.

When is tornado season in Erie County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (6 of 23). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).