Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania

Tornadoes in Chester County, Pennsylvania

32 tornadoes have crossed Chester County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 6th of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 32. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes: 32
Deaths: 3
Injuries: 32
F4 and above: 0
Worst on record: F3, March 22, 1955

The deadliest in Chester County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Chester County. Each year links to every tornado in Pennsylvania that year.

Year	Tornadoes	Deaths	Injuries	Strongest
2026	1			EF0
2023	1			EF1
2021	1			EF2
2015	1			EF1
2010	1			EF0
2006	1			F1
1999	1		12	F1
1998	3		1	F1
1997	1			F0
1996	1			F0
1994	5		11	F3
1993	1	1		F1
1992	2		3	F2
1990	1			F1
1989	1			F0
1988	1		1	F1
1980	1			F1
1979	1	1	4	F2
1975	1			F2
1974	1			F1
1973	1			F0
1969	1			F1
1955	2	1		F3
1953	1			F1

Every tornado that crossed Chester County

32 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 20, 2026	5:40 PM EDT	EF0	Chester	0.2	30
June 16, 2023	11:10 AM EDT	EF1	Chester	1.8	250
September 1, 2021	4:15 PM EDT	EF2	Chester	5.9	350			$500,000
June 30, 2015	2:11 PM EDT	EF1	Chester	0.7	100			$250,000
September 27, 2010	3:00 PM EDT	EF0	Chester	1.4	100			$25,000
August 29, 2006	3:40 PM EDT	F1	Chester	2.0	150			$70,000
November 26, 1999	5:57 PM EST	F1	Chester	1.8	100		12	$3.0 million
June 1, 1998	12:43 AM EDT	F1	Chester	6.0	100			$200,000
May 31, 1998	12:52 AM EDT	F1	Chester	3.0	100			$300,000
April 1, 1998	2:37 PM EST	F1	Chester	0.5	100		1	$30,000
November 2, 1997	12:15 PM EST	F0	Chester	0.1	50			$30,000
September 8, 1996	7:10 PM EDT	F0	Chester	0.5	50
August 13, 1994	5:00 PM EDT	F1	Chester	0.3	100
August 13, 1994	4:40 PM EDT	F0	Chester	0.5	100
July 27, 1994	11:30 PM EDT	F1	Chester	3.5	100			$50,000 to $500,000
July 27, 1994	10:55 PM EDT	F3	Chester	4.0	100		11	$500,000 to $5 million
April 13, 1994	5:30 PM EDT	F1	Chester	0.1	17			$5,000 to $50,000
June 9, 1993	3:20 PM EDT	F1	Chester	1.5	50	1		$5,000 to $50,000
August 28, 1992	7:20 PM EDT	F2	Chester	2.0	100		3	$50,000 to $500,000
July 17, 1992	7:30 PM EDT	F2	Chester	4.0	100			$50,000 to $500,000
July 9, 1990	4:30 PM EDT	F1	Chester	5.0	50			$50,000 to $500,000
November 16, 1989	9:24 AM EST	F0	Chester	0.1	10
July 17, 1988	5:15 PM EDT	F1	Chester	2.5	100		1	$50,000 to $500,000
July 16, 1980	4:45 PM EDT	F1	Chester	0.7	50			$500 to $5,000
September 5, 1979	10:30 PM EDT	F2	Chester	4.1	63	1	4	$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 1975	9:45 AM EDT	F2	Chester	3.0	20			$500 to $5,000
August 4, 1974	3:00 PM EDT	F1	Chester	1.1	30			$5,000 to $50,000
November 28, 1973	4:30 PM EST	F0	Chester	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
November 14, 1969	6:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Chester	0.1	33			$5,000 to $50,000
August 19, 1955	2:13 PM GMT-4	F2	Chester	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
March 22, 1955	3:30 PM GMT-5	F3	Chester	9.6	600	1		$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 1953	1:25 PM GMT-4	F1	Chester	3.6	17			$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Chester County The forecast for Chester County The live radar over Chester County Every county in Pennsylvania

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.