NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chambersburg, 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 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 43
- 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 Chambersburg
The strongest storm to pass near Chambersburg was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 22 miles. The record near Chambersburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 11 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 22 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Chambersburg has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The strongest of the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 16, 1961; its path came within 12 miles. Of the 43, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2022. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chambersburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chambersburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chambersburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 22 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 53 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 7 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 Chambersburg: 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 Chambersburg
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s9
- 2000s8
- 1990s13
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1961 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 7 mi | 2.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1994 | F2 | 8 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 24 mi | 5.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2013 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2011 | EF1 | 4 mi | 0.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 2011 | EF1 | 16 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 2005 | F1 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 2005 | F1 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chambersburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Chambersburg since 1969, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 29, 1976. The most recent report is from July 12, 2022. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chambersburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chambersburg 1 ESE, PA, 3 miles east of Chambersburg at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 23°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (22.4 of 43.4 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal October there has highs of 64°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.4 inches is more than at 56 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (38%). Fayetteville, 9 miles east, has its own station (S Mountain, PA): 48.6 inches a year, 5.2 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 23 | 3.2 | 6 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 41 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 50 | 32 | 3.6 | 7 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 63 | 42 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 56 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 45 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 3.1 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 3.5 | 6 | 5.5 |
| Year | 62 | 44 | 43.4 | 81 | 30.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chambersburg 1 ESE, PA (640 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 Chambersburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 126 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chambersburg: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $41.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 21, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 71 have had fewer than Chambersburg.
July 21, 2020: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Chambersburg — 1 injured, $90,000 damage.
July 21, 2020: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Chambersburg — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
April 2, 2005: flood 7 miles from the centre of Chambersburg — $40.0 million 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 Chambersburg's 2 ZIP codes have filed 100 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $611,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 17 claims (17% of all) and $41,000. The year with the most claims was 1996, with 29. 28% 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, 380 have fewer than Chambersburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 17 | $41,000 |
Franklin County, which includes Chambersburg, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.7 million a year, the 24th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $26.0 million (69%), 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 Chambersburg
- Saint Thomas, PA7 mi
- Fayetteville, PA9 mi
- Greencastle, PA10 mi
- Orrstown, PA11 mi
- Waynesboro, PA13 mi
- Shippensburg, PA13 mi
- Mercersburg, PA16 mi
- Mc Connellsburg, PA16 mi
- Newburg, PA17 mi
- Orrtanna, PA17 mi
- Hagerstown, MD20 mi
- Smithsburg, MD20 mi
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