NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elizabethtown, 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 Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 22
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Elizabethtown
The strongest storm to pass near Elizabethtown was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 87 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Elizabethtown begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 42 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 24 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Elizabethtown has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 14, 2004, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 18, 1970, killed 1 person. Of the 90, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 18 each. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2024. Elizabethtown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 81 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Elizabethtown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Elizabethtown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elizabethtown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 31 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 19 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 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 11 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 67 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 Elizabethtown: 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 Elizabethtown
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s17
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s5
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jul 14, 2004 | F3 | 8 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F3 | 16 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1995 | F2 | 15 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 9, 1992 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1991 | F2 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 1989 | F2 | 13 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 31, 1985 | F2 | 13 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elizabethtown
The Storm Prediction Center has 81 hail reports within 10 miles of Elizabethtown since 1956, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 7, 1986. The most recent report is from September 21, 2024. June has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elizabethtown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Middletown Harrisburg International Airport, PA, 9 miles west of Elizabethtown at 312 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 44.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 44.2 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 44.2 inches is more than at 69 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (47%). Mount Joy, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Landisville 2 NW, PA): 45.1 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 23 | 3.0 | 6 | 9.1 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 | 9.4 |
| Mar | 51 | 32 | 3.7 | 7 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 64 | 43 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 58 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 46 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 36 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 43 | 28 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Year | 64 | 45 | 44.2 | 78 | 29.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Middletown Harrisburg International Airport, PA (312 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 Elizabethtown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 223 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elizabethtown: 173 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods and 22 floods. They killed 7 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $154.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 29, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 28. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 409 have had fewer than Elizabethtown.
September 7, 2011: flood 4 miles from the centre of Elizabethtown — 4 killed, $150.7 million damage.
NWS: “8 feet. 0 feet.”
September 7, 2011: flood 5 miles from the centre of Elizabethtown — 2 killed, $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “46 feet. 0 feet.”
July 23, 2018: flood 3 miles from the centre of Elizabethtown — 1 killed.
NWS: “At 9pm, A 19 year old female attempted to swim across Conewago Creek with her 22 year old relative. She was unable to cross the creek due to the fast current and was swept away.”
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 Elizabethtown's ZIP code 17022 have filed 52 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $763,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011: 20 claims (38% of all) and $515,000. 69% 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, 284 have fewer than Elizabethtown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 20 | $515,000 |
Lancaster County, which includes Elizabethtown, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Lancaster County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $170.0 million a year, the 6th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $110.6 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.