NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Darlington, 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 Darlington, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Darlington
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Darlington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Darlington begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 20 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 Darlington. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 78, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2024. Darlington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Darlington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Darlington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Darlington: 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 Darlington
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s7
- 2000s6
- 1990s24
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | in town | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 7 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Darlington
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Darlington since 1956, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 26, 1956. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Darlington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montgomery L&D, PA, 11 miles south of Darlington at 690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.7 inches over 84 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 111 nights a year. That 40.7 inches is more than at 16 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (11%). Enon Valley, 5 miles north, has its own station (New Castle 1 N, PA): 42.0 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 21 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.6 | 8 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 40.7 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montgomery L&D, PA (690 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 Darlington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 301 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Darlington: 249 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 21 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $8.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 19, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 10 of 28. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 409 have had fewer than Darlington.
June 18, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Darlington — 1 injured.
October 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Darlington — $2.5 million damage.
October 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Darlington — $2.0 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 Darlington's ZIP code 16115 have filed 25 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $218,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 19. 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, 155 have fewer than Darlington.
Beaver County, which includes Darlington, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 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 Beaver County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.5 million a year, the 27th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $30.1 million (85%), 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 Darlington
- Enon Valley, PA5 mi
- East Palestine, OH6 mi
- Beaver Falls, PA6 mi
- Wampum, PA8 mi
- New Brighton, PA9 mi
- Beaver, PA10 mi
- Industry, PA10 mi
- Ellwood City, PA10 mi
- New Waterford, OH10 mi
- Midland, PA11 mi
- Rochester, PA11 mi
- Monaca, PA12 mi
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