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Gale of 1878
Philadelphia's most destructive windstorm. 700 buildings were destroyed. Gusts peaked at more than 100 mph. -
The Great Blizzard of 1888
This blizzard caused between 20-60 inches of snowfall and left snowdrifts 50 feet high in some areas. This effected Pennsylvania greatly. -
Johnstown Flood
The South Fork Dam was erected fourteen miles upstream from Johnstown and it created the Lake Conemaugh reservoir. After a few days of the heavy rainfall in 1889, the dam gave out, suddenly releasing all 20 million tons of the lake's water upon the town. 2, 209 people perished, including over 900 families and over 300 children. -
Hurricane Agnes
The scale of Agnes' destruction broke records for the United States when she hit in 1972. The massive storm plowed right across the Florida panhandle and up the east coast to devastate the northeast, a region that normally can be considered pretty safe from hurricane season. Pennsylvania faced worse destruction than any other state, with torrential downpour and dramatic flooding from the Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers -
The Tornado Outbreak
Pennsylvania sees the occasional tornado, however thanks to its mountainous terrain, usually does not see them that severe or that often. On one day in 1985, that changed when a string of tornadoes touched down in Western PA to wreck havoc in the state. -
Pymatuning Earthquake
It was Pennsylvania’s biggest earthquake with a 5.2 magnitude. Jamestown and nearby areas of the Commonwealth and Ohio are rarely affected by earth shaking. With the exception of several low-magnitude earthquakes that have occurred in recent years in the Lancaster–Reading area, earthquakes in Pennsylvania are unusual occurrences. -
Hurricane Katrina
The Atlantic storm that began as a category 1 hurricane as it blew across southern Florida wound up being the country’s costliest tragedy. Katrina roared into the Louisiana coast with 125 mph sustained winds, causing a storm surge that broke levees that shielded New Orleans from surrounding, higher coastal waters, and leaving 80 % of the city under water. Katrina killed at least 1836 people and inflicted damages estimated at around $125 billion. -
Hurricane Irene
This storm caused flooding, power outages, and a few deaths in Pennsylvania. Irene is ranked as the seventh costliest hurricane in United States history. -
Floods in Elysburg
Thousands of people spend their Memorial Day weekend camping. That weekend was cute short because of flooding after some storms blew through. Properties were damaged but no deaths. -
Hurricane Sandy
Many public transportations, highways, and bridges were closed due to Hurricane Sandy. More than 1.2 million were without power and there were 14 deaths.
