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Pennsylvania rip currents and high surf

Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 4 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 58 rip current and surf records in Pennsylvania from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 5.3 a year since 2000. Pennsylvania ranks 16th of 34 states and territories by count and 16th of 34 per square mile.

Rip currents and high surf in Pennsylvania, 1996 to 2026

Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
581996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
5.3average
Deaths
00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
201510 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are rip current and surf records common in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania averages about 5.3 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 16th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2015 (10). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Pennsylvania records 13 rip current and surf records since 1996, 16th of 34 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Hawaii 14482
  2. 2. New Jersey 647
  3. 3. Puerto Rico 640
  4. 4. Delaware 636
  5. 5. Florida 158
  6. 6. Rhode Island 97
  7. 7. Louisiana 64
  8. 8. California 44
  9. 9. South Carolina 41
  10. 10. North Carolina 37
  11. 16. Pennsylvania 13

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Pennsylvania have the most rip current and surf records?

Per square mile, Philadelphia County leads Pennsylvania: 25 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 186.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Delaware County has the most surf records (25 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Philadelphia County 186.1 (25)
  2. Delaware County 136.0 (25)
  3. Bucks County 11.6 (7)
  4. Montgomery County 2.1 (1)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the surf season in Pennsylvania?

72% of its rip current and surf records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (27 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 15 · Feb 27 · Mar 3 · Apr 0 · May 2 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 2 · Dec 9 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Rip currents and high surf: Pennsylvania and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadePennsylvaniaUnited StatesPennsylvania's share
1996-9901,0210
2000s194,3860.43%
2010s395,8100.67%
2020-2602,3460

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent rip current and surf records in Pennsylvania

The 0 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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