NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ellwood City, 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 Ellwood City, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
27 deaths in all
What the records show for Ellwood City
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ellwood City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Ellwood City begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 11 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 Ellwood City. The strongest of the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 77, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Ellwood City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Ellwood City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ellwood City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 61 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 Ellwood City: 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 Ellwood City
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s8
- 2000s7
- 1990s19
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s4
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 25 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 4 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ellwood City
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Ellwood City since 1956, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 26, 1956. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ellwood City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 1 N, PA, 12 miles north of Ellwood City at 825 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.0 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.0 inches is more than at 35 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (24%). Fombell, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Butler 2 SW, PA): 43.3 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 2.9 | 7 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 2.2 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 63 | 36 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 56 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 60 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 52 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.1 | 7 | 4.9 |
| Year | 63 | 39 | 42.0 | 89 | 27.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Castle 1 N, PA (825 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 Ellwood City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 396 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ellwood City: 283 thunderstorm wind reports, 67 flash floods, 43 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $21.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 19, 1998. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 584 have had fewer than Ellwood City.
August 22, 2017: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Ellwood City — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
May 28, 2019: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Ellwood City — $5.1 million damage.
May 29, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Ellwood City — $5.0 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 Ellwood City's ZIP code 16117 have filed 401 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $7.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 74 claims (18% of all) and $2.7 million, then Flooding in 1996 with 23. 24% 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, 516 have fewer than Ellwood City.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 74 | $2.7 million |
| Flooding1996 | 23 | $85,000 |
Lawrence County, which includes Ellwood City, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.6 million a year, the 36th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.8 million (89%), 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 Ellwood City
- Wampum, PA4 mi
- Fombell, PA5 mi
- Beaver Falls, PA7 mi
- Harmony, PA8 mi
- New Brighton, PA8 mi
- Zelienople, PA9 mi
- Portersville, PA9 mi
- Darlington, PA10 mi
- Enon Valley, PA10 mi
- Rochester, PA10 mi
- New Castle, PA11 mi
- Prospect, PA12 mi
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