Chester County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Chester County: 23.
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.

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. Apr 26, 2012Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down along Highway 225 and Silerton Road near Montezuma and moved southeast for roughly 2 miles. Six homes were damaged with two sustaining significant damage. A roof of a church sustained minor damage. A few farm sheds were damaged as well. A camper and boat was destroyed. Trees were snapped in the area and a few vehicles sustained shattered windows. A cotton module compress was also destroyed. The tornado lifted along Cecil Thomas Road.

2. Sep 27, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous homes were damaged. A garage and a small barn was destroyed. A mobile home was moved off its foundation. Several trees and power lines were blown down.

3. May 1, 2010Flash Flood$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain, up to 12 inches, produced widespread flooding in Chester County. As many as 30 roads and bridges were flooded or washed out. The flash flood event transitioned to a flood event by late in the afternoon as heavy rain allowed rivers to overflow their banks.

4. May 5, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Nearly forty houses and mobile homes were damaged. Some trees and power lines were knocked down.,

5. Mar 3, 2023High Wind, Chester$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Winds gusted to over 58 mph at times. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down across the county. Two cars were hit by trees.

6. Jun 1, 2018Flood$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooded roads and house between Montezuma and Henderson.

7. Apr 26, 2011Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A weak tornado touched down southwest of Jacks Creek and traveled northeast lifting just northeast of Jacks Creek. Numerous tree tops were broken off and many large trees were knocked down along the path. On Sweet Lips Road, a mobile home was damaged from a fallen tree. A couple of structures sustained roof damage. On Highway 100, trees and power lines were knocked down.

8. Apr 8, 1998Lightning$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning started a fire in the storage room of a funeral home. Thirty-six adult caskets and a variety of other service equipment was damaged or destroyed.

9. Jun 1, 2008Flash Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain produced flash flooding near Jacks Creek. State Highways 22A and 100 East were flooded with several feet of water as well as many secondary roads. Roby Road was washed out as a result and a culvert had to be replaced. A mudslide occurred on Highway 100, 10 miles east of Henderson near the area known as Jones Cut Hill. Several fields were flooded as well.

10. Aug 24, 2002Lightning$30,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A business was damaged by a fire started by lightning.

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

107°FJul 27, 1952

All-time low

−13°FJan 24, 1963

Warmest night

82°FJul 14, 1954

Coldest day

5°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

7.93 inMay 1, 2010

Snowiest day

11.0 inMar 22, 1968

Hottest year

2024mean 63.3°F

Coldest year

1979mean 58.1°F

Wettest year

201877.10 in

Driest year

196334.68 in

Snowiest season

24.7 in1984-85

Station Jackson Mckellar- Sipes Airport (USW00003811), 424 ft elevation, 19.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 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.

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 USW00003811.
• 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.