NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Burgettstown, 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 Burgettstown, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 46
- 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 Burgettstown
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Burgettstown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Burgettstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 38 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 Burgettstown. The highest rating among the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 11, 2024, came within 20 miles. Of the 46, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Burgettstown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1976, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Burgettstown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Burgettstown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Burgettstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 64 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 Burgettstown: 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 Burgettstown
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s5
- 2000s3
- 1990s6
- 1980s5
- 1970s8
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 10 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 17 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2025 | EF1 | 13 mi | 13.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 6 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 4.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Burgettstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Burgettstown since 1976, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on March 28, 2020. The most recent report is from August 17, 2024. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Burgettstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Steubenville, OH, 11 miles west of Burgettstown at 992 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 19°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 43.2 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 116 nights a year. That 43.2 inches is more than at 52 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (35%). Avella, 8 miles south, has its own station (Wheeling Ohio Co Airport, WV): 37.6 inches a year, 5.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 3.7 | 9 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 4.9 | 9 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 43.2 | 91 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Steubenville, OH (992 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 Burgettstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 250 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Burgettstown: 211 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods, 12 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 121 mph, on May 18, 1997. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 25. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 384 have had fewer than Burgettstown.
April 29, 2025: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Burgettstown — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
April 2, 2024: flood 10 miles from the centre of Burgettstown — $881,000 damage.
May 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Burgettstown — $250,000 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 Burgettstown's ZIP code 15021 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $508,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ida in 2021: 10 claims (53% of all) and $230,000. 89% 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, 107 have fewer than Burgettstown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 10 | $230,000 |
Washington County, which includes Burgettstown, 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.