Erie County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Erie County: 12.
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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Dec 24, 2017Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Erie$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An historic lake effect snow storm impacted Erie County on December 24th through the 27th. A 24 hour Pennsylvania snowfall record of 50.8 inches is believed to have been set during the period from 7 am on the 25th through 7 am on the 26th at Erie International Airport. The airport saw a total of 65.9 inches on the 24th through 27th with 60.3 inches falling on the 25th and 26th. Snowfall rates during the peak of the storm on the evening of the 25th were around 4 inches per hour. Travel along Interstate 90 was impossible at times during this event and many motorists became stranded in the snow. The Pennsylvania National Guard was activated during the event and sent at least 10…

2. Mar 7, 2008Winter Storm, Northern Erie$12.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snow began during the morning hours of the 7th, and continued for the next day and a half. During the afternoon of the 7th, snow was light to moderate with some occasional periods of heavy snow. By evening between 3.0 and 6.0 inches already fell across the area. The snow lightened up during the evening hours, but then intensified again during the overnight hours. During the day on the 8th, snow was moderate to heavy with visibilities frequently around a quarter mile. Gusty winds around 30 mph caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow. The snow finally tapered to flurries and ended during the overnight hours into the 9th. Snowfall totals for this event from trained spotters…

3. Dec 24, 2017Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An historic lake effect snow storm impacted Erie County on December 24th through the 27th. A 24 hour Pennsylvania snowfall record of 50.8 inches is believed to have been set during the period from 7 am on the 25th through 7 am on the 26th at Erie International Airport. The airport saw a total of 65.9 inches on the 24th through 27th with 60.3 inches falling on the 25th and 26th. Snowfall rates during the peak of the storm on the evening of the 25th were around 4 inches per hour. Travel along Interstate 90 was impossible at times during this event and many motorists became stranded in the snow. The Pennsylvania National Guard was activated during the event and sent at least 10…

4. Oct 31, 2019Lakeshore Flood, Northern Erie$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lake Erie water levels remained above normal with near record levels for October and November 2019. Lake levels were on average 3 feet above normal for both months. A powerful storm system moved over Lake Erie on October 31 into November 1 which was produced storm force winds across the eastern basin. Significant beach and shoreline erosion occurred across lakeshore Pennsylvania along with major damage to shoreline structures. ||Storm force westerly winds sustained around 50 knots with gusts up to 60 knots were observed along the eastern basin of Lake Erie. In Erie Pennsylvania winds were measured at 52 mph around 11 PM on October 31. Waves of 14 to 18 feet were observed along the…

5. Jun 30, 2009Flash Flood$6.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The ongoing, persistent line of lake-enhanced showers re-intensified around 9am local daylight time and shifted north of Interstate 90, inducing rapid rises along Mill Creek in the City of Erie as well as in many neighborhoods on the south side of town. Especially hard hit were areas in Belle Valley along Mill Creek, which quickly rose out of its banks, flooding roadways and over 50 homes near East Gore Road. The Belle Valley Fire Station, located at Norcross Road and State Route 8, flooded to a depth of 6 feet within minutes around 9:30am as Mill Creek rose out of its banks. 800 feet of Henderson Road was washed out just upstream from Belle Valley, while downstream, high water…

6. Sep 9, 2004Flash Flood$5.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rains associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Frances persisted during the early morning hours of September 9th. The rain eventually ended around daybreak. Storm total rainfall amounts from early on the 8th through the 9th generally ranged from 3 to 6 inches in Erie County. Some totals included: 3.5 inches at North East; 3.59 inches at Erie International Airport; 4.32 inches at Union City; 4.75 inches at Corry; 5.0 inches on the east side of Erie; 5.4 inches at Cranesville; 6.5 inches at Edinboro and 7.44 inches at Franklin Center. Runoff from this rain caused extensive flash flooding in Erie County during the morning hours of the 9th. Evacuations began in the…

7. Sep 17, 1996Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Up to seven inches of heavy thunderstorm rain caused flooding of streets, streams, basements and low lying areas. In the city of Erie, homes were destroyed and some homes and apartments had to be evacuated. Several businesses were damaged, a wall collapsed at Central High School, basement walls were blown out and sewers were backed up. Roads were washed out, bridges damaged, drivers stranded in their cars, some cars were overturned and some cars were floating away on 12th Street. A number of camper trailers were damaged at Folly's End Campground in Fairview. In Mill Creek Township, most roads were closed due to high water, and some roads were washed out. An apartment building and…

8. Mar 1, 2020Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lake Erie continued its seasonal rise from February to March, rising about 2 inches to a level of 573.98 feet. This level was a new record high monthly mean water level for March, surpassing its previous record set in 1986 by 3 inches. The March 2020 level was also 12 inches above the March 2019 level and 34 inches above its long term average level. Lack of lake ice supported higher and more repetitive wave action along the shoreline, resulting in continued beach and cliff erosion.

9. Jun 18, 2017Flash Flood$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storms moved over lakeshore Erie County starting around 230 pm. Additional storms occurred at 350 pm, 500 pm, and again at 610 pm. The heaviest rainfall occurred with the later storms with rainfall rates peaking at over 6/hr around 630 pm. This rainfall over an area that had received 2.50 of rainfall already lead to rapid flash flooding. By the end of the rain at 730 pm there was a storm total measured 5.05 at the Emergency Operations Center in Mill Creek. Other rainfall reports in the area are 4.60 in Girard, 4.00 in Lake City, and 3.65 at the Erie International Airport. ||Numerous reports came in of flash flooding in the area, most notably in Mill Creek. Water rescues were…

10. May 22, 2004Flash Flood$2.7 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rains fell on much of Erie County as yet another band of thunderstorms moved through the area just after daybreak. Between one and two inches of rain fell between daybreak and 9 a.m. In Edinboro, around 4.5 inches of rain was measured at the water treatment plant between noon on the 21st and noon on the 22nd. This rain combined with ground already saturated from heavy rains the previous few days led to another round of devastating flooding in the county. Many streams and creeks again left their banks washing out several roads and bridges. Two bridges over French Creek near Mill Village were washed out between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. Dozens of roads in the county had to be closed…

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

100°FJun 25, 1988

All-time low

−18°F2 times, most recently Feb 16, 2015

Warmest night

82°FJul 10, 1936

Coldest day

−4°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

10.37 inJul 22, 1947

Snowiest day

22.6 inNov 29, 2024

Hottest year

2024mean 54.3°F

Coldest year

1972mean 45.8°F

Wettest year

197761.70 in

Driest year

193423.84 in

Snowiest season

166.3 in2017-18

Station Erie International Airport (USW00014860), 729 ft elevation, 5.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1926 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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 USW00014860.
• 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.