Northumberland County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Northumberland County is about the same as Pennsylvania average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Northumberland County is about the same as Pennsylvania average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #25
| Northumberland County | 0.05 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.17 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Northumberland County | 0.0000 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #28
| Northumberland County | 105.83 |
| Pennsylvania | 109.77 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 13,085 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Northumberland County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 3 | Cold: | 77 | Dense Fog: | 30 | Drought: | 74 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 2,014 | Hail: | 2,008 | Heat: | 119 | Heavy Snow: | 194 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 39 | Landslide: | 1 | Strong Wind: | 219 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 6,872 | Tropical Storm: | 2 | Wildfire: | 32 | Winter Storm: | 119 | Winter Weather: | 115 |
| Other: | 1,167 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Northumberland County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Northumberland County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 46.3 | 1964-05-12 | 4.5 | 33 | 40.2 | -76.5 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 31 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Northumberland County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.9 | 1978-08-28 | 2 | 40°51'N / 76°48'W | 40°52'N / 76°46'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Northumberland | ||
| 6.5 | 1978-08-28 | 2 | 40°53'N / 76°52'W | 40°51'N / 76°48'W | 3.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Snyder |
| 13.9 | 1953-09-12 | 2 | 40°40'N / 76°41'W | 40°39'N / 76°35'W | 4.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Northumberland |
| 17.5 | 1950-07-05 | 2 | 40°36'N / 76°45'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Dauphin | |||
| 21.3 | 1985-05-31 | 3 | 41°09'N / 76°55'W | 41°07'N / 76°50'W | 4.00 Miles | 2640 Yards | 2 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Northumberland |
| 23.4 | 1985-05-31 | 3 | 41°08'N / 76°58'W | 41°09'N / 76°55'W | 4.00 Miles | 910 Yards | 2 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Union |
| 24.0 | 1981-07-26 | 2 | 40°52'N / 76°15'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Schuylkill | |||
| 27.9 | 1985-05-31 | 3 | 41°11'N / 77°09'W | 41°08'N / 76°58'W | 11.00 Miles | 910 Yards | 2 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Lycoming |
| 30.1 | 1976-07-29 | 3 | 41°12'N / 77°16'W | 41°14'N / 76°47'W | 25.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lycoming |
| 31.1 | 1982-04-17 | 2 | 41°12'N / 76°24'W | 41°15'N / 76°21'W | 4.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Columbia |
| 32.1 | 1980-04-09 | 2 | 40°44'N / 77°19'W | 40°43'N / 77°17'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Snyder | ||
| 33.4 | 1966-08-16 | 2 | 41°18'N / 77°00'W | 41°18'N / 76°54'W | 4.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Lycoming |
| 35.6 | 1992-07-17 | 2 | 40°24'N / 76°23'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lebanon | |
| 37.1 | 1992-07-15 | 2 | 40°53'N / 76°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Schuylkill | |
| 38.7 | 1957-11-19 | 2 | 40°18'N / 76°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lebanon | |
| 38.9 | 1970-06-18 | 3 | 40°24'N / 76°18'W | 40°24'N / 76°14'W | 1.90 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Lebanon |
| 38.9 | 1967-09-21 | 2 | 40°25'N / 77°11'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Perry | |
| 39.6 | 1968-09-10 | 2 | 40°58'N / 75°58'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Luzerne | |||
| 39.8 | 2004-07-14 | 3 | 40°17'N / 76°35'W | 40°17'N / 76°35'W | 7.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 18.0M | 0 | Lebanon |
| Brief Description: Thunderstorms spawned a strong F3 tornado in southern Lebanon County during the afternoon of July 14. The tornado first touched down in far western Lebanon County at 3:05 pm EDT, about 1 mile west of the town of Campbelltown. The tornado traveled east, and struck a housing development about one quarter mile south of Route 322. A total of 32 homes were destroyed, with another 37 homes sustaining significant damage. An additional 50 homes and 9 farm buildings in the area were damaged by downburst winds associated with the thunderstorm which spawned the tornado. The tornado continued along a path to the east for seven and one half miles. The tornado crossed Route 322 west of Mount Pleasant, and continued east, mainly across fields, until it lifted up about 2 miles northwest of the town of Cornwall at 3:15 pm EDT. The width of the tornado was one quarter mile. Although the tornadic damage was confined to the path described, additional damage occurred outside this path, again associated with downburst winds from the parent thunderstorm. Winds were estimated between 175 and 200 MPH, making this a strong F3 tornado on the Fujita scale. The tornado injured 24 persons, one critically. There were no deaths. The American Red Cross opened a mass care center, where over 50 people required assistance with sheltering. Between 25,000 and 30,000 customers lost power in Lebanon and Berks Counties as a result of the storms. | |||||||||||
| 40.4 | 1967-10-18 | 2 | 40°13'N / 76°45'W | 40°19'N / 76°36'W | 10.20 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 11 | 250K | 0 | Dauphin |
| 40.5 | 1970-03-26 | 2 | 40°16'N / 76°46'W | 2.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dauphin | |
| 41.7 | 1984-07-06 | 2 | 41°17'N / 76°09'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Luzerne | |
| 42.0 | 1977-04-05 | 2 | 40°15'N / 76°50'W | 2.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Dauphin | |
| 45.1 | 1974-04-14 | 2 | 41°25'N / 76°33'W | 41°32'N / 76°21'W | 12.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sullivan |
| 45.2 | 2006-12-01 | 2 | 41°04'N / 76°04'W | 41°10'N / 75°46'W | 20.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 5 | 1.0M | 0K | Luzerne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: At 4:52 pm EST, Friday, December 1st, a tornado touched down near Hobbie in Luzerne County. The tornado tracked about 20 miles east northeast through Dorrance, Mountaintop, and Fairview Heights to Bear Creek where it lifted. Most of the damage was F1 intensity with F2 intensity reached in Fairview Heights near route 309. A grocery store in Fairview heights had its windows blown out which injured 5 people. There was significant roof damage as well. An 8000 pound air conditioning unit was toppled on the roof of this grocery store. A roof was lifted off of a well built home approximately a quarter mile to the east northeast of the grocery store. Thousands of trees were blown down and uprooted along the path of this tornado. Shingle and roof damage was common along the entire path of this tornado too. Over 100 homes sustained at least minor damage. Two trailer homes and a construction trailer were completely destroyed. There was also minor damage to a high school in Fairview Heights. A roof was blown off the fire department in Dorrance. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A persistent ridge of high pressure brought unseasonably mild temperatures to the northeast U.S. A sharp cold front formed a line of strong to severe thunderstorms which blew through Pennsylvania Friday afternoon. Winds from these thunderstorms knocked down numerous trees and power lines. Along with the severe thunderstorms, three tornadoes touched down in northeast Pennsylvania, the first occurrence of tornado touch downs in Pennsylvania during the month of December on record. | |||||||||||
| 45.6 | 1954-09-19 | 2 | 41°31'N / 76°40'W | 41°29'N / 76°25'W | 12.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sullivan |
| 47.1 | 1955-08-19 | 2 | 40°24'N / 77°23'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Chester | |||
| 47.6 | 1975-10-11 | 2 | 40°17'N / 76°29'W | 40°10'N / 76°11'W | 17.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lebanon |
| 47.7 | 1952-07-23 | 2 | 40°37'N / 77°34'W | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Mifflin | |||
| 48.6 | 1985-07-31 | 2 | 40°10'N / 76°54'W | 40°09'N / 76°51'W | 3.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Lancaster |
| 48.7 | 1970-07-02 | 2 | 40°09'N / 76°37'W | 1.00 Mile | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lancaster | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.