NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bath, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bath, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 50 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 24
- Tornadoes
- 50
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Bath
The strongest storm to pass near Bath was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Bath begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 58 miles away. The 1870s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 25 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bath. The highest rating among the 50 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 26, 1981, came within 7 miles. Of the 50, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bath. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1975, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bath has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Bath's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bath
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 25 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bath: 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 Bath
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s8
- 2000s3
- 1990s6
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 1981 | F3 | 7 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 4.58 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | F2 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 23 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 5, 1979 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1950 | F2 | 8 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 50, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bath
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Bath since 1975, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 17, 2007. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. July has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bath
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Allentown International Airport, PA, 7 miles south of Bath at 390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (26.4 of 47.4 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 118 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.4 inches is more than at 108 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (73%). Wind Gap, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Belvidere Brg, NJ): 48.3 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 22 | 3.3 | 6 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 2.8 | 6 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 51 | 31 | 3.6 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.5 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 43 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 47.4 | 82 | 33.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Allentown International Airport, PA (390 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 Bath
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 420 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bath: 284 thunderstorm wind reports, 69 flash floods, 27 lightning strikes, 24 floods and 16 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $59.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 13, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 22 of 69. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 589 have had fewer than Bath.
August 5, 2009: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Bath — 1 killed.
July 19, 2011: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Bath — 2 injured.
NWS: “A father and daughter suffered minor injuries after they were struck by lightning as they stood underneath a tree at the Moore Township Recreation Fields. The father was holding an umbrella over his daughter's head when they were both thrown to the ground by the lightning bolt.”
August 8, 2007: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Bath — 1 injured, $55,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike and the ensuing fire destroyed a mobile home in Moore Township. The homeowner was seriously injured.”
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 Bath's ZIP code 18014 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $263,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 55% 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, 130 have fewer than Bath.
Northampton County, which includes Bath, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Northampton County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $90.4 million a year, the 12th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.0 million (70%), 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.