NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dillsburg, 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
24 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 22
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Dillsburg
The strongest storm to pass near Dillsburg was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 87 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 10 miles. The record near Dillsburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 73 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 24 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Dillsburg has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 7, 1980, came within 11 miles. Of the 74, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2024. Dillsburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dillsburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dillsburg
Of the 24 tracks on the map, 9 were moving north as they passed Dillsburg, 9 northeast and 4 northwest. The unnamed 1878 storm, the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 28 miles southeast of Dillsburg. None made landfall within 75 miles of Dillsburg; 20 of the 24 were hurricanes at their peak, 2 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 3 came near Dillsburg: 1.0 a decade, against 1.4 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 10 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 28 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 44 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 Dillsburg: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Dillsburg
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s9
- 2000s13
- 1990s22
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s7
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1980 | F3 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 5 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 1992 | F2 | 4 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1991 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 8, 1990 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 31, 1985 | F2 | 9 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 5 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 20 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1977 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dillsburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Dillsburg since 1962, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 1, 1976. The most recent report is from August 3, 2024. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dillsburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carlisle Wtp, PA, 13 miles northwest of Dillsburg at 430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 48.2 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.2 inches is more than at 112 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (76%). Grantham, 4 miles north, has its own station (Harrisburg Cptl Cy Airport, PA): 41.1 inches a year, 7.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 3.1 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 41 | 22 | 2.6 | 6 | 9.6 |
| Mar | 50 | 29 | 4.1 | 6 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.6 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 48.2 | 86 | 27.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carlisle Wtp, PA (430 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 Dillsburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 162 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dillsburg: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 11 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $632,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 6, 2020. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 224 have had fewer than Dillsburg.
June 19, 2007: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Dillsburg — 1 killed, 1 injured.
June 4, 2011: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Dillsburg — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
April 16, 2010: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Dillsburg — 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 Dillsburg's ZIP code 17019 have filed 26 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $186,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 50% 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, 163 have fewer than Dillsburg.
York County, which includes Dillsburg, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives York County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $106.0 million a year, the 10th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.0 million (65%), 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 Dillsburg
- Grantham, PA4 mi
- Wellsville, PA5 mi
- Boiling Springs, PA6 mi
- York Springs, PA8 mi
- Lewisberry, PA9 mi
- Mount Holly Springs, PA9 mi
- East Berlin, PA9 mi
- Mechanicsburg, PA10 mi
- Carlisle, PA10 mi
- Dover, PA11 mi
- Camp Hill, PA11 mi
- Gardners, PA12 mi
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