Tornadoes · United States · Pennsylvania

Tornadoes in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

29 tornadoes have crossed Lycoming County since 1950, 8th of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 62. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
29
Deaths
6
Injuries
62
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 31, 1985

The deadliest in Lycoming County

  1. F3, Lycoming, Union and Northumberland counties, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 19856 killed, 60 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Lycoming County, PennsylvaniaJuly 29, 1976F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  2. F3, Lycoming, Union and Northumberland counties, PennsylvaniaMay 31, 1985F3, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  3. F2, Lycoming County, PennsylvaniaAugust 16, 1966F2, 4.5 mi (7 km)
  4. EF2, Lycoming County, PennsylvaniaOctober 2, 2018EF2, 2.2 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lycoming County. Each year links to every tornado in Pennsylvania that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202211EF1
20181EF2
20151EF1
20112EF1
20071EF0
20052F1
20032F1
20001F1
19991F0
19986F1
19963F1
19941F0
19901F1
19861F1
19851660F3
19791F1
19761F3
19731F1
196611F2

Every tornado that crossed Lycoming County

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 31, 20224:38 PM EDTEF1Lycoming9.15001$300,000
October 2, 20185:03 PM EDTEF2Lycoming2.2300
July 9, 20154:40 PM EDTEF1Lycoming0.9225$100,000
May 26, 20117:26 PM EDTEF1Lycoming2.0100$6,000
May 26, 20117:25 PM EDTEF1Lycoming5.6150$8,000
June 19, 20074:50 PM EDTEF0Lycoming1.070
August 31, 20054:55 AM EDTF1Lycoming0.8100
June 6, 200512:55 PM EDTF1Lycoming1.575
July 21, 20035:30 PM EDTF1Lycoming5.0900$10,000
May 11, 20034:10 PM EDTF0Lycoming1.375$10,000
June 16, 20005:45 PM EDTF1Lycoming16.0100
July 1, 19997:00 PM EDTF0Lycoming0.5200$10,000
June 16, 19987:50 PM EDTF1Lycoming0.230
June 16, 19986:50 PM EDTF1Lycoming2.0250
May 31, 19989:15 PM EDTF0Lycoming0.240
May 31, 19989:02 PM EDTF0Lycoming0.550
May 31, 19988:45 PM EDTF1Lycoming7.080
May 31, 19985:20 PM EDTF1Lycoming0.5440
November 8, 199610:20 AM ESTF1Lycoming1.0150$100,000
November 8, 199610:20 AM ESTF1Lycoming2.5500$100,000
July 8, 19962:05 PM EDTF1Lycoming1.030
June 12, 19944:10 PM EDTF0Lycoming2.0200$5,000 to $50,000
August 13, 19903:31 PM EDTF1Lycoming3.770$500 to $5,000
July 13, 19861:30 PM EDTF1Sullivan17.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19859:25 PM EDTF3Lycoming19.0910660$5 million to $50 million
August 2, 19793:10 PM EDTF1Lycoming0.813$5,000 to $50,000
July 29, 19762:45 PM EDTF3Lycoming25.0150$500,000 to $5 million
May 10, 19733:30 PM EDTF1Lycoming1.667$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19662:30 PM GMT-4F2Lycoming4.51001$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Lycoming CountyThe forecast for Lycoming CountyThe live radar over Lycoming CountyEvery 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.