NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ashland, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ashland, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 51 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 51
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ashland
The strongest storm to pass near Ashland was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Ashland begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 57 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 18 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Ashland has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 51 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on July 15, 1992, came within 20 miles. Of the 51, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 11 each. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2024. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ashland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1963, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ashland.
Compare Ashland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ashland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 53 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 19 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ashland: 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 Ashland
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7
- 2000s3
- 1990s12
- 1980s4
- 1970s9
- 1960s5
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 10, 1968 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1953 | F2 | 14 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1950 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2015 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.74 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 30, 2015 | EF1 | 18 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2011 | EF1 | 12 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 51, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ashland
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Ashland since 1963, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently May 28, 2019. The most recent report is from May 28, 2019. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ashland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bear Gap, PA, 9 miles northwest of Ashland at 1,015 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. September is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 48.2 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal August there has highs of 80°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.2 inches is more than at 112 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (76%). Frackville, 6 miles east, has its own station (Mahanoy City 2 N, PA): 53.7 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 3.5 | 7 | 9.3 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 8.9 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 48.2 | 89 | 33.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bear Gap, PA (1,015 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 Ashland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 79 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ashland: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $220,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 19, 2013.
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 Ashland's ZIP code 17921 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $92,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 31% 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, 42 have fewer than Ashland.
Schuylkill County, which includes Ashland, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Schuylkill County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.3 million (74%), 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.