Hurricanes and Tropical Storms/Depressions
A search of historical records show Lancaster County has been affected by at least 36 hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical depressions, and/or sub-tropical storms since 1854. Figure 2-1 illustrates the storm paths within the County. Table 2-2 shows the number and types of storms that passed directly over Lancaster County from 1850 through 2009. Local newspapers archives, Monthly Weather Review archives, Stormpulse.com, National Hurricane Center, and other sources were drawn on to complete this record.
Hurricanes that pass in relatively close proximity to Lancaster County can also have an impact upon Lancaster County. Therefore, an analysis of storms passing through or within 50 miles of the County was also performed. These storms are listed in Table 2-3.
| STORM TYPE | NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES WITH CENTER OF STORM TRACK WITHIN 50 MILES OF LANCASTER COUNTY | RECURRENCE INTERVAL (years) | Chance per Year of Recurrence | NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES WITH CENTER OF STORM TRACK IN LANCASTER COUNTY | RECURRENCE INTERVAL (years) | Chance per Year of Recurrence |
| HURRICANE | 3 | 109 | 2% | 1 | 159 | .6% |
| TROPICAL STORM | 23 | 6 | 15% | 6 | 16 | 10% |
| TROPICAL DEPRESSION | 2 | 31 | 1% | 1 | 159 | .6% |
| Table 2-4 | ||||||