NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bethel Park, 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 Bethel Park, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Bethel Park
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bethel Park; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Bethel Park begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 29 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 Bethel Park. The strongest of the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 3, 1963; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 56, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bethel Park. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 171 times since 1963, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bethel Park has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bethel Park
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 44 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 Bethel Park: 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 Bethel Park
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s7
- 2000s2
- 1990s6
- 1980s6
- 1970s9
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 4 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 10 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 9 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 8 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1954 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 21, 2025 | EF1 | 5 mi | 13.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bethel Park
The Storm Prediction Center has 171 hail reports within 10 miles of Bethel Park since 1963, made on 87 separate days. Of these, 96 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 4 days, most recently March 28, 2020. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bethel Park
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pittsburgh Allegheny Co Airport, PA, 7 miles east of Bethel Park at 1,248 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 41.3 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 106 nights a year. That 41.3 inches is more than at 27 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (18%). Venetia, 4 miles south, has its own station (Washington 3 NE, PA): 41.3 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 22 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 24 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 49 | 31 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Apr | 63 | 42 | 3.4 | 9 |
| May | 72 | 52 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 63 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 75 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 45 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Nov | 51 | 35 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 41 | 28 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Year | 61 | 44 | 41.3 | 89 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pittsburgh Allegheny Co Airport, PA (1,248 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 Bethel Park
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 849 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bethel Park: 535 thunderstorm wind reports, 243 flash floods, 53 floods, 14 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 74, and the NWS estimated $70.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on May 31, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 88 of 243. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 778 have had fewer than Bethel Park.
May 31, 2002: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Bethel Park — 1 killed, 54 injured, $10.0 million damage.
June 30, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bethel Park — 10 injured, $41.0 million damage.
May 30, 2015: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bethel Park — 3 injured, $15,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Bethel Park's ZIP code 15102 have filed 84 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 18. 12% 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, 347 have fewer than Bethel Park.
Allegheny County, which includes Bethel Park, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Allegheny County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $354.2 million a year, the 2nd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $295.0 million (83%), 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 Bethel Park
- South Park, PA3 mi
- Venetia, PA4 mi
- Bridgeville, PA4 mi
- Finleyville, PA6 mi
- Carnegie, PA6 mi
- Jefferson Hills, PA8 mi
- Mc Murray, PA8 mi
- Glassport, PA8 mi
- West Mifflin, PA8 mi
- Homestead, PA9 mi
- Pittsburgh, PA9 mi
- New Eagle, PA9 mi
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