NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bedford, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bedford, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 27
- 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 Bedford
The strongest storm to pass near Bedford was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 82 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Bedford begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 15 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bedford. The highest rating among the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 13, 1956, came within 24 miles. Of the 27, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on June 17, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bedford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1989, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bedford.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bedford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 66 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bedford: 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 Bedford
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s10
- 2000s4
- 1990s9
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 1951 | F2 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 2018 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2017 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2014 | EF1 | 6 mi | 10.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2011 | EF1 | 23 mi | 3.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 5 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bedford
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Bedford since 1989, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 11, 2014. The most recent report is from June 16, 2016. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bedford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wolfsburg, PA, 3 miles north of Bedford at 1,185 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.6 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (21.0 of 40.6 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 37.6 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 40.6 inches is more than at 15 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (10%). Everett, 8 miles east, has its own station (Everett, PA): 40.4 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 2.8 | 6 | 10.3 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 2.3 | 6 | 10.3 |
| Mar | 50 | 27 | 3.4 | 7 | 8.0 |
| Apr | 63 | 37 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 72 | 46 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 56 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 60 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 58 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 50 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 39 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 52 | 30 | 3.0 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 41 | 24 | 3.1 | 6 | 6.7 |
| Year | 62 | 39 | 40.6 | 83 | 37.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wolfsburg, PA (1,185 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 Bedford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bedford: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $276,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 16, 2016.
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 Bedford's ZIP code 15522 have filed 499 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 166 claims (33% of all) and $2.8 million, then Hurricane Ida in 2021 with 27. 41% 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, 529 have fewer than Bedford.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 166 | $2.8 million |
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 27 | $853,000 |
Bedford County, which includes Bedford, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bedford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.2 million a year, the 39th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.3 million (88%), 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 Bedford
- Everett, PA8 mi
- Schellsburg, PA9 mi
- New Paris, PA9 mi
- New Enterprise, PA13 mi
- Central City, PA17 mi
- Hyndman, PA20 mi
- Claysburg, PA20 mi
- Warfordsburg, PA20 mi
- Saxton, PA22 mi
- Windber, PA22 mi
- Berlin, PA23 mi
- Stoystown, PA24 mi
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