NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bernville, 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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bernville, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Bernville
The strongest storm to pass near Bernville was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Bernville begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 52 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 22 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Bernville has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 18, 1970, killed 1 person. Of the 63, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Bernville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1956, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bernville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bernville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 59 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 1 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bernville: 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 Bernville
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s10
- 2000s4
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 1970 | F3 | 7 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 12 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 4, 1950 | F3 | 11 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 19 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 5, 1979 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bernville
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Bernville since 1956, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 12, 1956. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 9 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bernville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blue Marsh Lake, PA, 7 miles southeast of Bernville at 350 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 48.3 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (27.1 of 48.3 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal August there has highs of 83°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 125 nights a year. That 48.3 inches is more than at 116 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (78%). Mohrsville, 6 miles east, has its own station (Hamburg, PA): 49.6 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 20 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 3.8 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 3.8 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 4.6 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 5.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.8 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 48.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blue Marsh Lake, PA (350 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 Bernville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 266 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bernville: 220 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 7 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $538,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on June 3, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 27. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 401 have had fewer than Bernville.
September 12, 2013: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bernville — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
June 26, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bernville — $150,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bernville — $100,000 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
Berks County, which includes Bernville, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Berks County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $119.5 million a year, the 9th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.1 million (58%), 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 Bernville
- Mohrsville, PA6 mi
- Robesonia, PA7 mi
- Womelsdorf, PA7 mi
- Leesport, PA7 mi
- Bethel, PA8 mi
- Richland, PA9 mi
- Wernersville, PA9 mi
- Shoemakersville, PA9 mi
- Auburn, PA10 mi
- Hamburg, PA10 mi
- Myerstown, PA11 mi
- Sinking Spring, PA11 mi
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