Bucks County, Pennsylvania
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 42017 · population 646,216 · 604 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,835 records for Bucks County, Pennsylvania from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 1,118 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (505 records). NOAA records 220 flood or flash floods there since 1996, with 13 deaths; its 5,260 flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA) rank 91st of 2,942 U.S. counties; the deadliest named storm on its flood record is Hurricane Ida (2021). The deadliest single record is the July 15, 2023 flash flood: 7 deaths. FEMA has issued 27 declarations naming the county since 1965, 25 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Remnants of Hurricane Ida” on September 10, 2021.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,835on 1,118 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 33178 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $350Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 29strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 27latest 2021
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Bucks County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 505 since 1960. 54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Pennsylvania's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 505 | 274 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 16 | $2.1M | 11 of 67 |
| Winter storms | 397 | 292 | 1996-2026 | 11 | 79 | $12M | 9 of 67 |
| Floods | 220 | 161 | 1996-2025 | 13 | 17 | $290M | 5 of 67 |
| High wind and dust storms | 145 | 130 | 1996-2025 | 3 | 7 | $16M | 8 of 67 |
| Heat | 114 | 102 | 1996-2025 | 5 | 13 | – | 6 of 67 |
| Hail | 103 | 58 | 1975-2023 | 0 | 0 | $550K | 19 of 67 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 92 | 65 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 of 67 |
| Lightning | 65 | 53 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 32 | $5.0M | 3 of 67 |
| Heavy rain | 54 | 49 | 1996-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 67 |
| Drought | 47 | 47 | 1997-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 67 |
| Extreme cold | 46 | 34 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 1 | – | 8 of 67 |
| Tornadoes | 29 | 23 | 1950-2023 | 0 | 13 | $24M | 5 of 67 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 7 | 7 | 2007-2016 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 67 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 7 | 6 | 2003-2020 | 0 | 0 | $918K | 3 of 67 |
| Wildfires | 4 | 4 | 2002-2006 | 0 | 0 | $154K | 8 of 67 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Bucks County had?
NOAA records 29 tornadoes in Bucks County from 1950 to 2023, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 13 injuries recorded in the county. That is 5th of 67 Pennsylvania counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 28 tornadoes whose track touched Bucks County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 29: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-29 17:04, as SPC files it | Trevose | EF3 | 3.4 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Pennsylvania.
Every tornado record filed for Bucks County (29)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-01 | Penns Park, Bucks County | EF1 3.9 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-03-31 | Blooming Glen, Bucks County | EF1 2.01 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-09-01 | West Bristol, Bucks County | EF1 1.14 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-09-01 | Buckmanville, Bucks County | EF1 1.6 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-09-01 | Edison, Bucks County | EF1 4.31 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-08-18 | Telford, Bucks County | EF1 6.73 mi x 140 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-07-29 | Belmont Hills, Bucks County | EF3 2.78 mi x 530 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-07-29 | New Hope, Bucks County | EF2 0.28 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-07-29 | Wismer, Bucks County | EF1 2.69 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-08-04 | Belmont Hills, Bucks County | EF2 16.91 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 6 | – |
| 2020-08-04 | Cornwells Hgts, Bucks County | EF2 0.06 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 6 | – |
| 2019-05-19 | Ottsville, Bucks County | EF1 0.26 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-09-11 | Silverdale, Bucks County | F0 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 1994-06-06 | Hilltown, Bucks County | F1 0.25 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 1993-09-27 | Neshaminy, Bucks County | F1 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $10M |
| 1992-07-31 | Bucks County | F1 2 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1992-01-14 | Bucks County | F1 1.5 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-07-05 | Bucks County | F1 10 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1989-11-16 | Bucks County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1989-11-16 | Bucks County | F0 5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1984-04-05 | Bucks County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1983-08-29 | Bucks County | F1 2.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1983-03-21 | Bucks County | F1 8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1982-06-29 | Bucks County | F1 1.5 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1975-07-13 | Bucks County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1973-06-29 | Bucks County | F2 1.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1962-05-24 | Bucks County | F2 1.9 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1961-09-03 | Bucks County | F1 2.7 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1950-08-29 | Bucks County | F1 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Bucks County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 31, 2025 flash flood ($30,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-28 | Dense FogBucks County · forecast zone Upper Bucks | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindMorrisville, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindFairless, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindWashington Crossing, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindCross Keys, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindChalfont, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindBuckingham Station, Bucks County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindYardley, Bucks County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindLanghorne Buehl Airport, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindEdison, Bucks County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindEdison, Bucks County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindKintnersville, Bucks County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-15 | Flash FloodBuckmanville, Bucks County Catastrophic flash flooding occurred in Upper Makefield Township, resulting in the loss of seven lives. A reliable rain gauge located within the township indicated that 4.64 inches of rain fell during the event which lasted less than 2 hours. Widespread roadway flooding occurred with many roads becoming impassable. ... | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-10-29 | Winter StormBucks County · forecast zone Bucks An unprecedented winter storm for late October not only dropped heavy snow across most of Eastern Pennsylvania, but caused widespread power outages and road closures as many deciduous trees still had foliage. Nearly one million utility customers in Eastern Pennsylvania lost power and power was not fully restored until ... | 4 | 2 | – | |
| 2014-01-02 | Heavy SnowBucks County · forecast zone Lower Bucks A winter storm dropped 5 to 9 inches of snow across Eastern Pennsylvania from the middle of afternoon of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd. This caused hazardous traveling conditions for the evening commute on the 2nd and the morning commute on the 3rd. Three storm related deaths occurred, all in Bucks County. After ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-07-04 | HeatBucks County · forecast zone Bucks A very strong and oppressive high pressure system that extended from the surface to aloft gave Eastern Pennsylvania a brutal heat wave that included the entire Independence Day weekend. There were 74 heat related deaths and over 100 reported heat related injuries. High temperatures reached the 90s for the first time ... | 2 | 6 | – | |
| 2016-01-22 | BlizzardBucks County · forecast zone Upper Bucks Snow began during the late afternoon hours on Friday, January 22nd, and continued through the overnight hours, through Saturday, into Saturday night. Winds gusting over 35 mph late Friday night and Saturday reduced visibilities to under one-quarter mile at times. Some representative snowfall totals include 30.0 inches ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-01-22 | BlizzardBucks County · forecast zone Lower Bucks Snow began during the late afternoon hours on Friday, January 22nd, and continued through the overnight hours, through Saturday, into Saturday night. Winds gusting over 35 mph late Friday night and Saturday reduced visibilities to under one-quarter mile at times. Some representative snowfall totals include 27.0 inches ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-06-12 | Flash FloodSoutheast, Bucks County Nearly stationary thunderstorms brought three to eleven and a half inches of rain within a four hour period to southeast Bucks County. The 11.55 inches of rain that fell in Langhorne represented a greater than one hundred year single day storm. Two men drowned, a 54-year-old and a 52-year-old. Damage was estimated at ... | 2 | 0 | $27M | |
| 2012-05-16 | LightningWest Bristol, Bucks County A lightning strike caused a three-alarm fire at the Dow Chemical facility on Pennsylvania State Route 413 and State Road in the Croydon section of Bristol Township. A lightning bolt struck two of the storage tanks at the plant. The ensuing fire badly damaged two large 250,000 gallon tanks that held chemicals used in ... | 1 | 3 | $321K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-04-03 | FloodBucks County · forecast zone Bucks | 0 | 0 | $60M | |
| 2006-06-28 | FloodRiegelsville, Bucks County | 0 | 0 | $44M | |
| 1999-09-16 | Flash FloodCountywide, Bucks County | 0 | 15 | $39M | |
| 2004-09-18 | FloodBucks County · forecast zone Bucks | 0 | 0 | $37M | |
| 2021-09-01 | Flash FloodAquetong, Bucks County | 1 | 0 | $28M | |
| 1996-06-12 | Flash FloodSoutheast, Bucks County | 2 | 0 | $27M | |
| 2000-07-30 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Bucks County | 0 | 0 | $8.6M | |
| 2003-09-18 | High WindBucks County · forecast zone Bucks | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $8.0M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: November 16, 1989 (tornado, Bucks County); November 16, 1989 (tornado, Bucks County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Bucks County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 4 | 14 | 32 | 53 | 97 | 105 | 200 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 31 | 108 | 180 | 78 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 20 | 69 | 70 | 61 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 19 | 70 | 53 | 3 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 27 | 39 | 31 | 17 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 27 | 28 | 24 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 211 · Feb 205 · Mar 141 · Apr 73 · May 139 · Jun 222 · Jul 291 · Aug 172 · Sep 88 · Oct 54 · Nov 81 · Dec 158 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Bucks County
FEMA's register lists 27 declarations that include Bucks County: 20 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and flood (7).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-10 | DR-4618 | Hurricane | Remnants of Hurricane Ida |
| 2020-03-30 | DR-4506 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3441 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2016-03-23 | DR-4267 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2014-02-06 | EM-3367 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2013-01-10 | DR-4099 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-10-29 | EM-3356 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2011-09-12 | DR-4030 | Flood | Tropical Storm Lee |
| 2011-09-08 | EM-3340 | Flood | Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee |
| 2011-09-03 | DR-4025 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-08-29 | EM-3339 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2006-06-30 | DR-1649 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3235 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2005-04-14 | DR-1587 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2004-09-19 | DR-1555 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances |
| 2004-09-19 | DR-1557 | Hurricane | Tropical Depression Ivan |
| 2001-06-21 | DR-1383 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Allison |
| 1999-09-18 | DR-1294 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1996-06-18 | DR-1120 | Flood | Flooding, Severe Storms |
| 1996-01-21 | DR-1093 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1085 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1994-03-10 | DR-1015 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3105 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1973-07-17 | DR-400 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1972-06-23 | DR-340 | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes |
| 1971-09-18 | DR-312 | Flood | Floods |
| 1965-08-18 | DR-206 | Drought | Water Shortage |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Bucks County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 220 flood or flash flood records for Bucks County from 1996 to 2025, on 161 days, with 13 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bucks County ranks 91st of 2,942 U.S. counties. The 100 counties with the most claims
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida | 2021-09-01 | 2 | 1 |
| Hurricane Irene | 2011-08-27 | 2 | 0 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | 2004-09-18 | 2 | 0 |
| Tropical Storm Allison | 2001-06-16 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999-09-16 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $150 million on 5,260 claims filed in Bucks County; the most in one year was 735 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 57 · 1979: 96 · 1980: 33 · 1981: 13 · 1982: 35 · 1983: 46 · 1984: 115 · 1985: 18 · 1986: 23 · 1987: 27 · 1988: 9 · 1989: 40 · 1990: 2 · 1991: 3 · 1992: 24 · 1993: 85 · 1994: 90 · 1995: 6 · 1996: 565 · 1997: 2 · 1998: 5 · 1999: 376 · 2000: 88 · 2001: 131 · 2002: 6 · 2003: 38 · 2004: 472 · 2005: 735 · 2006: 718 · 2007: 52 · 2008: 9 · 2009: 35 · 2010: 33 · 2011: 643 · 2012: 16 · 2013: 14 · 2014: 25 · 2015: 2 · 2016: 9 · 2017: 5 · 2018: 25 · 2019: 20 · 2020: 55 · 2021: 404 · 2023: 28 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 8; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Bucks County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bucks County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $203 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | $2.4M | 12 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Very High | $4.5M | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $141M | 4.4 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $3.5M | 7 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively High | $10M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.6M | 34 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $9.3M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $7.5M | 9.6 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Bucks County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in PennsylvaniaEvery Pennsylvania tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in PennsylvaniaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Pennsylvania recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Bucks CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Bucks County's FEMA declarations (CSV)27 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis