Mercer County tornado history

24 tornadoes touched Mercer County, Pennsylvania between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F5 (May 31, 1985). Tornadoes here killed 35 and injured 466 people.

24tornadoes since 1950

F5strongest rating

35killed · 466 injured

56.2 milongest path · 1985

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

By rating

(E)F08

(E)F17

(E)F25

(E)F31

(E)F41

(E)F51

unrated1

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	F5	47 mi	450 yd	310	18
May 31, 1985	F4	56.2 mi	350 yd	125	16
May 2, 1972	F3	7.9 mi	33 yd	3	0
Nov 10, 2002	F2	7 mi	500 yd	19	1
Oct 3, 1986	F2	9 mi	123 yd	0	0
Jun 1, 1954	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	3	0
Sep 30, 1954	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jun 15, 1964	F2	0.1 mi	400 yd	4	0
Apr 28, 2002	F1	16 mi	200 yd	0	0
Jan 8, 2019	EF1	2.8 mi	400 yd	0	0
Jul 8, 2014	EF1	2.5 mi	150 yd	0	0
Aug 2, 1980	F1	2 mi	10 yd	1	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Aug 6, 2024	unrated	—	20 yd	0	0
Sep 22, 2021	EF1	0.3 mi	90 yd	0	0
Jun 16, 2019	EF1	1.1 mi	150 yd	0	0
Jan 8, 2019	EF1	2.8 mi	400 yd	0	0
May 31, 2015	EF0	1.1 mi	250 yd	0	0
Jul 8, 2014	EF1	2.5 mi	150 yd	0	0
Jun 6, 2010	EF0	3 mi	80 yd	0	0
May 1, 2007	EF0	4 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jul 21, 2003	F0	3 mi	80 yd	0	0
Nov 10, 2002	F2	7 mi	500 yd	19	1
Apr 28, 2002	F0	6 mi	50 yd	0	0
Apr 28, 2002	F1	16 mi	200 yd	0	0

Deadliest: May 31, 1985, F5, 18 killed.

Nearby counties

Lawrence County, PA12 Venango County, PA13 Trumbull County, OH23 Crawford County, PA40 Butler County, PA28 Mahoning County, OH18 Beaver County, PA24 Clarion County, PA15

Questions

How many tornadoes has Mercer County, Pennsylvania had?

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

What was the strongest tornado in Mercer County?

The strongest rating recorded was F5 on May 31, 1985, with a 47-mile path and 18 deaths.

When is tornado season in Mercer County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (6 of 24). 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.