Northumberland County tornado history

14 tornadoes touched Northumberland County, Pennsylvania between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.2 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (May 31, 1985). Tornadoes here killed 6 and injured 61 people.

14tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

6killed · 61 injured

19 milongest path · 1985

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

By rating

(E)F04

(E)F17

(E)F22

(E)F31

(E)F40

(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	F3	19 mi	910 yd	60	6
Sep 12, 1953	F2	4.7 mi	50 yd	0	0
Aug 28, 1978	F2	3.3 mi	50 yd	1	0
Jun 2, 1998	F1	15 mi	440 yd	0	0
Sep 4, 2001	F1	2.5 mi	300 yd	0	0
May 23, 1983	F1	2 mi	30 yd	0	0
Sep 27, 1998	F1	1.2 mi	700 yd	0	0
May 23, 2011	EF1	1.2 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jun 30, 2015	EF1	1.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 16, 1993	F1	0.2 mi	30 yd	0	0
Jul 18, 1997	F0	2.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jul 24, 2017	EF0	0.3 mi	25 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Jul 24, 2017	EF0	0.3 mi	25 yd	0	0
Jun 30, 2015	EF1	1.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jun 8, 2015	EF0	0.1 mi	20 yd	0	0
May 23, 2011	EF1	1.2 mi	100 yd	0	0
Sep 4, 2001	F1	2.5 mi	300 yd	0	0
Sep 27, 1998	F1	1.2 mi	700 yd	0	0
Jun 2, 1998	F1	15 mi	440 yd	0	0
Jul 18, 1997	F0	2.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 16, 1993	F1	0.2 mi	30 yd	0	0
May 31, 1985	F3	19 mi	910 yd	60	6
May 23, 1983	F1	2 mi	30 yd	0	0
Aug 28, 1978	F2	3.3 mi	50 yd	1	0

Deadliest: May 31, 1985, F3, 6 killed.

Nearby counties

Montour County, PA4 Union County, PA12 Snyder County, PA10 Columbia County, PA9 Schuylkill County, PA16 Dauphin County, PA21 Lebanon County, PA19 Lycoming County, PA29

Questions

How many tornadoes has Northumberland County, Pennsylvania had?

14 tornadoes touched Northumberland County, Pennsylvania between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.2 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Northumberland County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on May 31, 1985, with a 19-mile path and 6 deaths.

When is tornado season in Northumberland County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (3 of 14). 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).