Bucks County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Bucks 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.

River crests

River gauges

1. 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.

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (3).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 3, 2005Flood, Bucks$40.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   For the second time within seven months a greater than 50-year storm affected the Delaware River Basin and its tributaries. In all, about 5,715 homes were evacuated along the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Ed Rendell quickly declared a state of emergency and made money available to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management for flood related needs. Many homes and businesses that were flooded because of the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, were flooded again. The crests along the Delaware River were even higher than in September 2004 and were the highest crests since 1955. In many places, it was the second or third highest crest on record for the Delaware…

2. Jun 28, 2006Flood$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several days of heavy rain throughout the Delaware River Basin culminated with major flooding along the Delaware River from the 28th through the 30th. It was the fourth or fifth highest crest on record for the Delaware River along Bucks County and hit Yardley and New Hope the hardest. The crest was slightly lower than the April 2005 flood. President George W. Bush declared Bucks County a disaster area. Inland flooding affected Perkasie and Sellersville the most. Sporadic periods of heavy rain started on the 23rd, but the most widespread and heaviest rain fell from the night of the 27th into the morning of the 28th. Event totals in Bucks County averaged four to ten inches, but…

3. Sep 1, 2021Flash Flood$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding occurred in lower Bucks County with many road closures and vehicles stranded. There were numerous water rescues. Most waterways in the county overflowed, including the Delaware River (with a highly unusual quick response to the runoff), Neshaminy Creek, Tohickon Creek and the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek. Many buildings and homes were flooded.

4. Sep 1, 2021Flash Flood$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding occurred in upper Bucks County with many road closures and vehicles stranded. There were numerous water rescues. One flood related fatality was reported in Milford Township. Most waterways in the county overflowed, including the Delaware River (with a highly unusual quick response to the runoff), Neshaminy Creek, Tohickon Creek and the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek. Many buildings and homes were flooded.

5. Sep 18, 2004Flood, Bucks$24.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The remnants of Hurricane Ivan interacting with a slowly moving cold front caused widespread very heavy in the upper part of Bucks County during the first half of the day on the 18th. Very heavy rain also fell in the upper and middle sections of the Delaware River Valley. The runoff from both produced widespread poor drainage and creek flooding in the upper part of Bucks County and the worst flooding along the Delaware River since 1955. President George W. Bush declared Bucks County a disaster area. Municipalities and roadways along the Delaware River and the Lehigh County were hardest hit and they included Quakertown, Springfield, Durham, Nockamixon, Bridgeton, Tinicum, Solebury,…

6. Sep 16, 1999Flash Flood$22.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Floyd battered Eastern Pennsylvania (especially Southeast sections around Philadelphia) on September 16th and brought with it torrential and in some places record breaking rains and damaging winds. The hurricane caused widespread flash flooding as storm totals averaged around six inches in the Poconos and Berks County, eight inches in the Lehigh Valley and from eight to twelve inches in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Six people died directly from the hurricane - four drownings and two persons were hit by trees. The hurricane also indirectly contributed to the death of about seven other persons. About 40 persons were seriously injured. There were hundreds of…

7. Jun 12, 1996Flash Flood$14.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Nearly stationary thunderstorms brought three to eleven and a half inches of rain within a four hour period to southeast Bucks County. The 11.55 inches of rain that fell in Langhorne represented a greater than one hundred year single day storm. Two men drowned, a 54-year-old and a 52-year-old. Damage was estimated at 14.5 million dollars, 13 million to property and 1.5 million to state and local roads. A state of emergency was declared that evening. The county was declared a major disaster area later in the month. Ninety people escaped possible injury by evacuating Gold's Gym in Middletown Township just before the roof collapsed from the heavy rain at 610 p.m. EDT. Nearly every…

8. Sep 18, 2003High Wind, Bucks$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical Storm Isabel produced strong power outage producing winds, moderate tidal flooding along the Delaware River and stream flooding in Chester County. Isabel made landfall as a hurricane near Drum Inlet, North Carolina around 100 p.m. EDT on the 18th and weakened as it tracked farther inland. At one time in its life cycle, it was a powerful Category 5 hurricane when it was north of the Leewood Islands. Winds gusted up to 60 mph in Eastern Pennsylvania and downed countless numbers of trees, tree limbs and power lines. It was the worst outage on record for PECO Energy in southeastern Pennsylvania. About 572,425 of its customers lost power. This exceeded the outages that…

9. Feb 9, 2010Winter Storm, Bucks$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   For the second time within a week a major winter storm affected Eastern Pennsylvania on the 10th and 11th and smashed seasonal snowfall records in the Philadelphia area. Snowfall averaged one to two feet with some locally higher amounts in the Philadelphia northwest suburbs. ||Around the local Philadelphia area, snow began during the early evening on the 9th. As warmer air moved in aloft, the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST on the 10th. Surface temperatures responded slower and the sleet and freezing rain changed over to rain during the morning of the 10th. Some sleet mixed in from time to time. As the low pressure system moved northeast of…

10. Jul 30, 2000Flash Flood$5.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorms with torrential downpours that remained nearly stationary during the early evening of the 30th, caused flash flooding in the Mill Creek Basin in Bucks County just above its confluence with the Neshaminy Creek. Less severe flooding occurred throughout the rest of lower Bucks County. The county was declared a federal disaster area. Damage was estimated at $5 million dollars. Four hundred and forty-eight homes and businesses were damaged in Upper Southampton, Lower Southampton, Northampton and Bensalem Townships. About 75 persons and their pets were rescued from their homes (along the Mill Creek) and/or vehicles. A temporary shelter was opened at the Lower Southampton…

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

106°FJul 22, 2011

All-time low

−2°FJan 7, 2018

Warmest night

83°FJul 23, 2011

Coldest day

11°FJan 7, 2014

Wettest day

7.25 inSep 16, 1999

Snowiest day

16.7 inJan 23, 2016

Hottest year

2012mean 57.1°F

Coldest year

2003mean 51.9°F

Wettest year

201862.96 in

Driest year

202534.55 in

Snowiest season

54.3 in2013-14

Station Trenton-mercer Airport (USW00014792), 190 ft elevation, 11.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1945 to October 26, 2026; 95.4% 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 USW00014792.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.