Dunmore
Population 14,249 (2025)
48 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Dunmore since 1950, 1 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on July 2, 2023.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195048
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger15
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 19844
- Major flood years since 1978, Lackawanna County7
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Lackawanna County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Lackawanna County.
Strongest tornado
F3
June 2, 1998, 26.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
Cat. 1
Hurricane (unnamed), 1878, 12.2 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 1.6 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
June 2, 1998
F3, 26.0 mile path
500 yards wide; 2 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Sunday, July 2, 2023
EF0, 0.2 mile path
3 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF0 | 1.6 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF0 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 13, 2018 | EF2 | 2.9 | 6 | 0 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 25, 2017 | EF2 | 12.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2011 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2011 | EF1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 17, 2010 | EF1 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | EF1 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | EF2 | 25.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | EF1 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | EF1 | 6.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F0 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F2 | 20.0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 2006 | F0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F3 | 26.0 | 15 | 2 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 1996 | F1 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 14, 1994 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 16, 1993 | F1 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 14, 1992 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1991 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 20, 1988 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 29, 1983 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 1981 | F1 | 3.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 13, 1972 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 4, 1960 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 17, 1954 | F2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
7 passed within 50 miles since 1851; 1 at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
October 23, 1878
Unnamed storm, Category 1
12.2 miles at closest approach, winds near 81 mph.
Most recent
August 4, 2020
Isaias, Tropical storm
43.5 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Isaias | 2020 | 43.5 | Tropical storm |
| Irene | 2011 | 97.6 | Tropical storm |
| David | 1979 | 29.9 | Tropical storm |
| Agnes | 1972 | 56.1 | Post-tropical |
| Doria | 1971 | 96.6 | Tropical storm |
| Diane | 1955 | 78.1 | Tropical storm |
| Able | 1952 | 52.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1949 | 17.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1933 | 54.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1929 | 8.1 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1924 | 96.5 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 68.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1903 | 8.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1899 | 43.3 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 44.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 99.1 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1888 | 41.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1885 | 79.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1878 | 12.2 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1866 | 83.7 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1863 | 83.5 | Tropical storm |
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
4 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
April 25, 2009
Penobscot Fire, 2,090 acres
18.6 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
November 7, 2020
Seven Pines Fire
789 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Seven Pines | 2020 | 21.9 | 789 |
| Pipeline 1 | 2015 | 19.8 | 667 |
| Penobscot | 2009 | 18.6 | 2,090 |
| Crystal Lake | 2004 | 19.8 | 1,834 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 52 days
Heavy smoke on 10 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
14.3 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
15 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 23 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
1,369 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $20.5 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Lackawanna County, the county that contains Dunmore.
Most claims in one year
1996: 391 claims
$6.1 million paid.
2nd most
2004: 218 claims
$4.4 million paid.
3rd most
2006: 142 claims
$4.4 million paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 18509 | 506 | $8.5 million |
| 18508 | 257 | $3.7 million |
| 18447 | 96 | $566,000 |
| 18433 | 75 | $2.3 million |
| 18411 | 74 | $926,000 |
| 18407 | 58 | $386,000 |
| 18504 | 46 | $391,000 |
| 18403 | 41 | $240,000 |
| 18505 | 29 | $104,000 |
| 18518 | 28 | $707,000 |
| 18444 | 23 | $101,000 |
| 18519 | 20 | $15,000 |
| 18507 | 19 | $53,000 |
| 18434 | 17 | $67,000 |
| 18414 | 16 | $131,000 |
| 18452 | 16 | $52,000 |
| 18424 | 5 | $30,000 |
| 18501 | 5 | $1.3 million |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood85
- Flood14
2 deaths recorded in flood events since 1996.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Lackawanna County, the county that contains Dunmore.
Most severe crest
August 19, 1955
Lackawanna River at Old Forge, 20.05 ft
9.05 feet above the 11.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
September 2, 2021
Lackawanna River at Old Forge, 13.50 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Lackawanna River at Archbald | 8.0 | 10.58 ft | 2 |
| Lackawanna River at Old Forge | 11.0 | 20.05 ft | 4 |
| Lackawanna River at Parker St Bridge | 12.5 | 11.00 ft | 0 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 89 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 22 months.
The drought index is for Lackawanna County, the county that contains Dunmore.
89
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
24
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
5
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
November 1964
−5.86, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
22 months
July 1964 to April 1966.
Latest month
September 2026
+0.92, incipient wet spell
Last severe month: September 2005.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
1 earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1974; none reached magnitude 4.
1
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
April 27, 1974
Magnitude 3.0
0 km ENE of Pardeesville, Pennsylvania; 33.6 miles away, 1.9 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
April 27, 1974
Magnitude 3.0
0 km ENE of Pardeesville, Pennsylvania; 33.6 miles away.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
586 events in the National Weather Service record for Lackawanna County, 534 of them since 1996.
40
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
205
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
87
Winter weather events since 1996
4
Heat events since 1996
11
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 24, 1985
2.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
November 25, 2004
86 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 16 | 1 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 27, 2006Flash Flood$50.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Tropical moisture streamed northward into northeast Pennsylvania ahead of a frontal system which slowly moved westward into the eastern Great Lakes by Tuesday morning the 27th. This brought 2 to 5 inches of rain to Lackawanna County and began significant flash flooding by Tuesday morning. Later on Tuesday another more substantial area of heavy rain moved into Lackawanna County as the front moved back east and combined with a low pressure system moving up the eastern seaboard. This additional rainfall caused massive flash flooding from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday. Total rainfall in Lackawanna County ranged from 7 to 15 inches. This extreme rainfall sent streams and creeks…
- Sep 18, 2004Flash Flood$20.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain with amounts of 4.5 to 7.5 inches caused flash flooding. The rain which fell from the 16th to the 18th was due to the remnants of hurricane Ivan. All creeks and streams were out of their banks. In addition, the Lackawanna River had major flooding. Almost 1000 homes and over 30 businesses were damaged. A 40 foot deep sinkhole developed on Pittston Avenue.
- Jan 19, 1996Flash Flood$19.5 million
- Sep 9, 2023Flash Flood$10.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Leggetts Creek flooding from South Abington Township to the Lackawanna River in Scranton. Severe flooding of residental structures on Leggett Street, Gilbert Street and Rockwell Street is occurring with evacuations underway.
- Sep 3, 2003Flash Flood$5.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
1 to 3 inches of heavy rain in a short period of time caused rapid flash flooding of streams and urban areas. The ground was already saturated from several inches that fell on September 2nd. Most areas in the county had some flooding. The worst flooding was in the townships of Jermyn, Carbondale, Mayfield, and Scott. The Lackawanna River at Archbald crested at 10.2 feet which is above its 8 foot estimated flood stage. The Lackawanna River went out of its banks in many towns and cities including Scranton. A 58 year old man trying to get to his car in Carbondale had a heart attack and died. Hundreds of people were evacuated in the middle of the night. Many homes had several feet of…
- Jun 27, 2006Flood$5.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
At Old Forge on the Lackawanna River, moderate flooding occurred. The river rose to the flood stage of 11 feet on June 27th at 12:00 PM EDT. Moderate flooding at 13 feet began June 27th at 2:00 PM EDT. The first crest was 13.39 feet June 27th at 3:15 PM EDT. The second crest was slightly lower than the first at 13.05 feet June 28th at 8:15 AM EDT. The record flood at Old Forge is 20.05 feet from the remnants of Hurricane Diane on August 19, 1955.
- Sep 9, 2023Flash Flood$2.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
A man and woman succumbed to flash flooding as they attempted to evacuate their vehicle while stuck in the railroad overpass crossing Shady Lane. Flood waters rapidly filled their vehicle and the woman was swept downstream. The man was also swept away and sustained grave injuries after being slammed into a sign post and guardrail. He died a few days later. Severe flooding also stranded several other vehicles in this immediate area.
- Sep 18, 2004Flood, Lackawanna$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Lackawanna River at Old Forge rose above its flood stage of 11 feet early on the 18th, crested at 16.7 feet at 3:30 PM on the 18th, then fell below its flood stage in the evening also on the 18th. This was the third highest crest on record. Rainfall amounts were 4 to 7 inches which started on the 16th and continued into the 18th. This rain was from the remnants of hurricane Ivan.
- Sep 16, 1999High Wind, Lackawanna$630,000
National Weather Service narrative
Strong and damaging winds plagued northeastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and night as the remnants of Hurricane Floyd moved up the eastern seaboard. The strong winds began during the afternoon as the tropical system reached the New Jersey coast. Blustery conditions lasted into early the next morning with persistent wind gusts estimated between 40 and 50 mph. Occasionally, wind speeds reached 60 mph or more, especially in the Pocono mountains. The gale force winds caused considerable tree and powerline damage throughout the Poconos and Wyoming valley. The Pennsylvania Power and Light (PP&L) company reported nearly 260,000 of their customers were without power at some…
- Sep 9, 2023Flash Flood$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Social media reports flash flooding along U.S. Route 11 near the gas station with multiple occupied vehicles stranded with water to the bumpers.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Wilkes-barre/scranton International Airport, 8.2 miles from the city centre, with records from 1949.
- All-time high
- 101°F3 times, most recently Jul 16, 1988
- All-time low
- −21°FJan 21, 1994
- Warmest night
- 80°FJul 22, 2011
- Coldest day
- −2°FJan 19, 1994
- Wettest day
- 5.98 inSep 27, 1985
- Snowiest day
- 22.1 inMar 14, 2017
- Hottest year
- 2020mean 53.7°F
- Coldest year
- 1958mean 47.2°F
- Wettest year
- 201861.08 in
- Driest year
- 196326.22 in
- Snowiest season
- 98.3 in1995-96
Median first snow
November 11
Earliest: October 3, 1974
Median last snow
April 8
Latest: May 17, 1973
0 of 65 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Wilkes-barre/scranton International Airport (USW00014777), 951 ft elevation, 8.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1949 to October 27, 2026; 99.8% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
22 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 30, 2020.
Declarations for Lackawanna County.
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | DR-4506-PA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3441-PA |
| Nov 27, 2018 | Severe Storm | DR-4408-PA |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | EM-3356-PA |
| Sep 12, 2011 | Flood | DR-4030-PA |
| Sep 8, 2011 | Flood | EM-3340-PA |
| Feb 23, 2007 | Severe Storm | DR-1684-PA |
| Jun 30, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1649-PA |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3235-PA |
| Apr 14, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1587-PA |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1555-PA |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Hurricane | DR-1557-PA |
| Aug 23, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1485-PA |
| Jan 21, 1996 | Flood | DR-1093-PA |
| Jan 13, 1996 | Snowstorm | DR-1085-PA |
| Mar 10, 1994 | Severe Storm | DR-1015-PA |
| Mar 16, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3105-PA |
| Oct 8, 1985 | Hurricane | DR-745-PA |
| Oct 20, 1976 | Flood | DR-523-PA |
| Jul 7, 1976 | Flood | DR-513-PA |
| Sep 26, 1975 | Flood | DR-485-PA |
| Jun 23, 1972 | Flood | DR-340-PA |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014777.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.