York County, Pennsylvania

What hazards hit York County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 608 since 1955. 47% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 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.

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 York County had?

NOAA records 32 tornadoes in York County from 1952 to 2023, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 12 injuries recorded in the county. That is 13th 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 35 tornadoes whose track touched York County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 32: 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.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Pennsylvania.

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 York County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 14, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

An NWS damage survey found that a microburst occurred in Brogue on the evening of June 14th, 2026. Maximum winds were estimated to be between 80 and 90 mph and damage was concentrated along Forry Road in Chanceford Township. Around 10 trees were snapped, one of which fell onto a parked car. One home also sustained damage to roof shingles.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1350699)

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

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 York 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

47% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for York County

FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include York County: 14 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (6) and hurricane (5).

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 York County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 140 flood or flash flood records for York County from 1996 to 2026, on 101 days, with 3 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), York County ranks 206th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $20.7 million on 1,753 claims filed in York County; the most in one year was 414 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 York County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates York County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $106 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with York County

1. Baltimore County, MD 1,674
2. Harford County, MD 1,498
3. Lancaster County 1,177
4. Carroll County, MD 1,149
5. York County 1,102
6. Dauphin County 706
7. Cumberland County 592
8. Adams County 528

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 York CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download York County's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis