NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Central City, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Central City, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Central City
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Central City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 72 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Central City begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 61% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Central City. The strongest of the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 33, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Central City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 8 times since 1977, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Central City.
Compare Central City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Central City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Central City: 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 Central City
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s8
- 2000s3
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 19 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 1951 | F2 | 9 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 2018 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 2018 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2014 | EF1 | 22 mi | 10.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | EF1 | 23 mi | 4.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 19 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 22 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1998 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Central City
The Storm Prediction Center has 8 hail reports within 10 miles of Central City since 1977. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 11, 1977. The most recent report is from August 7, 2013.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Central City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shawnee Sp, PA, 10 miles southeast of Central City at 1,275 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 39.9 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (20.5 of 39.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. That 39.9 inches is more than at 12 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (8%). Stoystown, 7 miles west, has its own station (Laurel Summit, PA): 56.5 inches a year, 16.6 more than here, and a July average high of 75°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 19 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 19 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Apr | 62 | 36 | 3.6 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 46 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 55 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 84 | 59 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 58 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Oct | 64 | 38 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 51 | 30 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 39.9 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shawnee Sp, PA (1,275 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 Central City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Central City: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $216,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 21, 2020. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Central City.
August 14, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Central City — 1 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 Central City's ZIP code 15926 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $54,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% 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, 75 have fewer than Central City.
Somerset County, which includes Central City, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Somerset County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.9 million a year, the 42nd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.0 million (82%), 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.