NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Aliquippa, PA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 61 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 61
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Aliquippa
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Aliquippa; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Aliquippa begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 23 miles away. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Aliquippa. The strongest of the 61 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 61, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Aliquippa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 134 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Aliquippa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Aliquippa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Aliquippa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Aliquippa: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Aliquippa
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s6
- 2000s5
- 1990s10
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 13 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 4 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F2 | 20 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 1 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1954 | F2 | 10 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 61, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Aliquippa
The Storm Prediction Center has 134 hail reports within 10 miles of Aliquippa since 1962, made on 88 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 19, 1983. The most recent report is from April 19, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Aliquippa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montgomery L&D, PA, 6 miles northwest of Aliquippa at 690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.7 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. That 40.7 inches is more than at 16 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (11%). Ambridge, 4 miles east, has its own station (Pittsburgh International Airport, PA): 39.6 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 21 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.6 | 8 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 40.7 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montgomery L&D, PA (690 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Aliquippa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 476 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Aliquippa: 371 thunderstorm wind reports, 64 flash floods, 28 floods, 11 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $17.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 24, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 22 of 64. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 573 have had fewer than Aliquippa.
March 25, 1996: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Aliquippa — 1 injured.
May 14, 2011: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Aliquippa — 1 injured.
July 5, 2007: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Aliquippa — $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “A retired NWS employee reported flash flooding in Aliquippa, Monaca, and surrounding towns from rainfall of 3 to over 4 inches in 2 hours. Over 500 buildings and homes sustained damage across Beaver county with around 50 families displaced from homes.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Aliquippa's ZIP code 15001 have filed 73 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2007, with 18. 14% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 553 Pennsylvania cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 325 have fewer than Aliquippa.
Beaver County, which includes Aliquippa, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Beaver County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.5 million a year, the 27th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $30.1 million (85%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.