NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Du Bois, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Du Bois, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 28
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Du Bois
The strongest storm to pass near Du Bois was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Du Bois begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 49 miles away. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Du Bois. The highest rating among the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 24 miles. Of the 28, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on October 16, 2021. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Du Bois. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1966, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Du Bois.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Du Bois
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 61 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Du Bois: 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 Du Bois
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7
- 2000s4
- 1990s5
- 1980s3(2 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 24 mi | 29 mi | 7 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 6 mi | 69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1963 | F3 | 20 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 13 mi | 28.7 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1996 | F2 | 17 mi | 27.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 19, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 2021 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.16 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 4, 2021 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2018 | EF1 | 8 mi | 2.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2009 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2005 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 28, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Du Bois
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Du Bois since 1966, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 11, 1976. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Du Bois
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dubois Jefferson Co Airport, PA, 9 miles northwest of Du Bois at 1,814 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 42.6 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 42.6 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 138 nights a year. That 42.6 inches is more than at 47 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (32%). Curwensville, 16 miles southeast, has its own station (Clearfield Lawrence Airport, PA): 40.4 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 3.7 | 9 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 75 | 55 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 71 | 51 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 36 | 23 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Year | 57 | 39 | 42.6 | 92 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dubois Jefferson Co Airport, PA (1,814 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 Du Bois
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 214 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Du Bois: 182 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 12 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $15.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 20, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 211 have had fewer than Du Bois.
July 13, 2021: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Du Bois — $8.0 million damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm with winds estimated near 60 mph brought down multiple trees in the area and snapped a power pole in half.”
June 27, 2013: flood 4 miles from the centre of Du Bois — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Emergency manager reported flooding throughout the town of Reynoldsville. Major arteries in and out of the town were made impassable.”
June 27, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Du Bois — $3.0 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 Du Bois's ZIP code 15801 have filed 266 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 68 claims (26% of all) and $263,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 43. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 100. 42% 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, 492 have fewer than Du Bois.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 68 | $263,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 43 | $301,000 |
Clearfield County, which includes Du Bois, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clearfield County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and tornadoes; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.3 million a year, the 41st highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.2 million (77%), 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 Du Bois
- Reynoldsville, PA8 mi
- Brockway, PA9 mi
- Curwensville, PA16 mi
- Kersey, PA16 mi
- Punxsutawney, PA17 mi
- Brookville, PA17 mi
- Clearfield, PA17 mi
- Ridgway, PA20 mi
- Woodland, PA23 mi
- Saint Marys, PA24 mi
- Johnsonburg, PA26 mi
- Cherry Tree, PA27 mi
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