Adams County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Adams County: 0.
2. 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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. 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.

Smoke overhead

1. 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.

Claims by ZIP code

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.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
2. 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 21, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 75 mph brought down multiple trees and wires from Cashtown to Fairfield.

2. Aug 6, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$90,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe thunderstorm microburst produced straight line wind damage near the town of East Berlin, Pennsylvania on Aug 6 at 725 PM EDT. Maximum wind speeds were estimated between 90 and 100 mph. The most significant damage occurred at a property on the 800 block of Rife Rd, where the roof was completely ripped off of a home that was approximately 250 years old. One of the exterior walls collapsed outward on the second story of a newer addition to the home. An RV was flipped and rolled over at a nearby property, where several steel panels were also ripped off the roof of a long barn. An empty trailer from a semi was flipped alongside Rife Rd. Isolated tree damage was observed along…

3. Jun 4, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds estimated between 70 and 80 mph tore-off a portion of the roof from the Woodside Vista apartment complex on 240 Ram Drive in Conewago Township just west of Hanover. Damaging winds also downed 8 utility poles along Route 194 near Mount Pleasant Road, causing thousands of power outages. Extensive water damage occurred at the apartment complex.

4. Jul 2, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$65,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 70 mph removed the roofs of two barns and caused the collapse of an outbuilding on the 700 block of Solomon Road south of Gettysburg.

5. Sep 11, 2011Flash Flood$64,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several roads were closed throughout the county. Water rescues were performed in the vicinity of East Berlin. A preliminary total of 60 structures reported major damage, 64 structures minor damage for a total 124 impacted structures. Damage was estimated at $63,850 for public facilities.

6. Jun 4, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds estimated near 60 mph tore the roof off of 2 outbuildings in McSherrytown.

7. Mar 3, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$35,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees and wires were down in Union Township. A barn roof was blown off and a garage moved off its foundation. Two people in the barn took shelter under a combine.

8. Jun 25, 2000Lightning$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three mares with foals were killed late Sunday evening when they were struck by lightning on a 40 acre farm on Rentzel Road. On a second farm on Taneytown Road, a silo was struck by lightning. The 12 year old silo completely collapsed onto itself with the retaining rings in a pile. The silo stood about 80 feet high and was empty when the lightning struck.

9. Apr 14, 2026Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe thunderstorm, producing wind gusts estimated near 60 mph, knocked down a small storage barn containing hay west of Hampton.

10. Aug 13, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph blew the roof off of a home east of Littlestown.

1. 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.

All-time high

102°FJul 17, 1988

All-time low

−18°F3 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Warmest night

79°FJul 22, 2011

Coldest day

3°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Wettest day

5.08 inSep 6, 1979

Snowiest day

21.4 inFeb 6, 2010

Hottest year

2024mean 55.5°F

Coldest year

1992mean 48.3°F

Wettest year

201866.18 in

Driest year

200129.82 in

Snowiest season

68.8 in2009-10

Station Biglerville (USC00360656), 720 ft elevation, 7.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1972 to October 19, 2026; 99.1% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00360656.
• 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.