NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Avella, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Avella, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 43
- 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 Avella
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Avella; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Avella begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 45 miles away. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 92% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Avella. The highest rating among the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 11, 2024, came within 20 miles. Of the 43, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Avella. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Avella.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Avella
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Avella: 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 Avella
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s5
- 2000s2
- 1990s5
- 1980s5
- 1970s6
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 1, 2022 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 2 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1990 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1954 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 21, 2025 | EF1 | 10 mi | 13.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 12 mi | 4.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF1 | 18 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Avella
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Avella since 1974, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 12, 2023. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. July and August have the most reports, 10 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Avella
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wheeling Ohio Co Airport, WV, 12 miles southwest of Avella at 1,179 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 37.6 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. That 37.6 inches is more than at 5 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (3%). Burgettstown, 8 miles north, has its own station (Steubenville, OH): 43.2 inches a year, 5.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 22 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 24 | 2.2 | 6 |
| Mar | 50 | 31 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Apr | 63 | 42 | 3.1 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 75 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 45 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Nov | 51 | 35 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 41 | 28 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 37.6 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wheeling Ohio Co Airport, WV (1,179 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 Avella
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 260 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Avella: 216 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 15 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 76 mph, on August 25, 2023. April has had the most flash floods, 8 of 26. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 394 have had fewer than Avella.
April 29, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Avella — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
July 30, 2016: flood 9 miles from the centre of Avella — $1.2 million damage.
January 6, 2005: flood 9 miles from the centre of Avella — $1.0 million damage.
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 Avella's ZIP code 15312 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $273,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 63% 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, 75 have fewer than Avella.
Washington County, which includes Avella, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 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 Washington County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $57.4 million a year, the 17th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $51.5 million (90%), 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.
Cities near Avella
- Wellsburg, WV8 mi
- Burgettstown, PA8 mi
- Colliers, WV9 mi
- Follansbee, WV9 mi
- Claysville, PA11 mi
- Mingo Junction, OH11 mi
- Washington, PA12 mi
- Houston, PA12 mi
- Weirton, WV12 mi
- Steubenville, OH13 mi
- Mc Donald, PA13 mi
- Mc Murray, PA15 mi
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