Wayne County, Pennsylvania
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 42127 · population 51,146 · 726 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 531 records for Wayne County, Pennsylvania from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 338 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (178 records). The deadliest single record is the June 27, 2006 flash flood: 1 death and $73.2 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1965, 23 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Tropical Storm Debby” on September 11, 2024.
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
- 531on 338 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 23 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $165Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 11strongest EF2
- FEMA declarations
- 25latest 2024
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 Wayne County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 178 since 1969. 50% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1969 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 | 178 | 124 | 1969-2026 | 1 | 0 | $1.8M | 57 of 67 |
| Winter storms | 159 | 109 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | 36 of 67 |
| Floods | 67 | 44 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $153M | 48 of 67 |
| Hail | 55 | 34 | 1985-2023 | 0 | 0 | $91K | 45 of 67 |
| High wind and dust storms | 27 | 21 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | 47 of 67 |
| Extreme cold | 15 | 11 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | 36 of 67 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 7 | 1991-2024 | 0 | 0 | $608K | 60 of 67 |
| Heat | 7 | 4 | 2001-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 of 67 |
| Drought | 5 | 5 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $368K | 39 of 67 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 2000-2026 | 0 | 3 | $38K | 19 of 67 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 38 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 Wayne County had?
NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Wayne County from 1991 to 2024, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 11 tornadoes whose track touched Wayne County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Pennsylvania.
Every tornado record filed for Wayne County (11)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-27 | Rutledgedale, Wayne County | EF1 0.4 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 2018-05-15 | Prompton, Wayne County | EF1 0.22 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $59K |
| 2011-07-29 | Honesdale, Wayne County | EF0 0.55 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2011-07-29 | Flortenia, Wayne County | EF1 0.65 mi x 160 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2010-07-23 | Belmont Corner, Wayne County | EF1 5.68 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $102K |
| 2010-07-23 | White Mills, Wayne County | EF1 2.19 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 2010-07-23 | Aldenville, Wayne County | EF2 15.81 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $102K |
| 2010-07-23 | Bethany, Wayne County | EF1 1.7 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $41K |
| 2002-05-31 | Equinunk, Wayne County | F1 0.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 1998-05-31 | Sterling, Wayne County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $91K |
| 1991-09-18 | Wayne County | F2 1 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K 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 Wayne County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 12, 2026 lightning ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | LightningUswick, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2026-06-11 | Thunderstorm WindHonesdale, Wayne County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2026-06-11 | Thunderstorm WindLake Como, Wayne County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindLakeville, Wayne County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-04-19 | Frost/FreezeWayne County · forecast zone Southern Wayne | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2026-04-19 | Frost/FreezeWayne County · forecast zone Northern Wayne | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindWhite Mills, Wayne County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-02-08 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillWayne County · forecast zone Southern Wayne | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormWayne County · forecast zone Northern Wayne | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormWayne County · forecast zone Southern Wayne | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Winter WeatherWayne County · forecast zone Southern Wayne | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Winter StormWayne County · forecast zone Northern Wayne | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-27 | Flash FloodCountywide, Wayne County Tropical moisture continued to stream northward into northeast Pennsylvania ahead of a frontal system which slowly moved westward into the eastern Great Lakes by Tuesday morning the 27th. This tropical moisture developed a batch of heavy showers and thunderstorms across much of eastern Pennsylvania late Monday evening ... | 1 | 0 | $73M | |
| 1997-08-16 | Thunderstorm WindLake Ariel, Wayne County Severe thunderstorms continued to plow eastward across northern Pennsylvania and produced more extensive wind damage over southern sections of the county. Many large trees and power lines were toppled in an area from Lake Ariel eastward to the Hawley vicinity. A man was killed while sailing on Lake Wallenpaupack when ... | 1 | 0 | $83K | |
| 2007-07-27 | LightningHamlin, Wayne County Three people were struck by lightning in Hamlin. | 0 | 3 | $1K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-01-19 | Flash FloodCountywide, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $34M | |
| 2006-06-27 | FloodHawley, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $7.3M | |
| 2005-04-03 | Flash FloodCountywide, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 2026-04-19 | Frost/FreezeWayne County · forecast zone Northern Wayne | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2003-09-04 | Flash FloodCentral Portion, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $2.4M | |
| 2000-12-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $857K | |
| 2003-08-06 | Flash FloodHonesdale, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $802K | |
| 2004-09-18 | FloodWayne County · forecast zone Southern Wayne | 0 | 0 | $781K |
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 $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: September 18, 1991 (tornado, Wayne 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 Wayne 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 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 41 | 40 | 39 | 51 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 19 | 61 | 41 | 38 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 4 | 22 | 17 | 24 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 16 | 4 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 9 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 2 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
50% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1969 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 51 · Feb 41 · Mar 41 · Apr 28 · May 44 · Jun 80 · Jul 84 · Aug 44 · Sep 25 · Oct 17 · Nov 24 · Dec 52 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Wayne County
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Wayne County: 19 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and hurricane (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-11 | DR-4815 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Debby |
| 2020-03-30 | DR-4506 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3441 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2013-10-01 | DR-4149 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2012-10-29 | EM-3356 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2011-09-12 | DR-4030 | Flood | Tropical Storm Lee |
| 2011-09-03 | DR-4025 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-08-29 | EM-3339 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2007-02-23 | DR-1684 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 2003-08-23 | DR-1485 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1996-01-21 | DR-1093 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1085 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3105 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1985-10-08 | DR-745 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gloria |
| 1977-01-29 | EM-3026 | Snowstorm | Snowstorms |
| 1976-10-20 | DR-523 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1975-09-26 | DR-485 | Flood | Severe Storms, Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1973-07-17 | DR-400 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1972-06-23 | DR-340 | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes |
| 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 Wayne County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 67 flood or flash flood records for Wayne County from 1996 to 2025, on 44 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Wayne County ranks 889th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Depression Ivan | 2004-09-18 | 3 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.7 million on 221 claims filed in Wayne County; the most in one year was 72 in 2006. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 3 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1984: 3 · 1985: 5 · 1993: 1 · 1996: 17 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 2 · 2002: 3 · 2003: 8 · 2004: 35 · 2005: 28 · 2006: 72 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 6 · 2011: 11 · 2012: 2 · 2013: 11 · 2014: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2025: 1; 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 Wayne County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $17.2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $755K | 2.1 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $1.0M | once in about 33 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $8K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $13M | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.5M | 3.4 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $71K | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $238K | 31 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $51K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Wayne 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 Wayne CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Wayne County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis