NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Emporium, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Emporium, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Emporium
The strongest storm to pass near Emporium was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Emporium begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 19 miles away. None of the 9 systems has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Emporium. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 31, 1985, killed 4 people. Of the 21, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Emporium. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 9 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Emporium.
Compare Emporium's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Emporium
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 29 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Emporium: 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 Emporium
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1980s3(2 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 13 mi | 29 mi | 4 / 40 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 22 mi | 69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1963 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 23 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1962 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1954 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2021 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2013 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2009 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2009 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Emporium
The Storm Prediction Center has 9 hail reports within 10 miles of Emporium since 1985. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 31, 1985. The most recent report is from August 18, 2019.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Emporium
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Emporium, PA, 2 miles southeast of Emporium at 1,040 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 16°F. July and August are the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 44.0 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 47.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.0 inches is more than at 65 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (44%). Saint Marys, 16 miles west, has its own station (Glen Hazel 2 NE Dam, PA): 46.7 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 16 | 3.1 | 8 | 12.4 |
| Feb | 37 | 16 | 2.3 | 6 | 10.3 |
| Mar | 46 | 24 | 3.2 | 8 | 10.8 |
| Apr | 60 | 34 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.9 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 54 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 57 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 30 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.1 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 3.3 | 7 | 9.5 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 44.0 | 90 | 47.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Emporium, PA (1,040 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 Emporium
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Emporium: 50 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $361,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 15, 2018.
December 1, 2010: flood 5 miles from the centre of Emporium — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Rainfall amounts between 2 and 4 inches produced extensive flooding. Dozens of state, county and municipal roads were closed.”
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 Emporium's ZIP code 15834 have filed 45 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $181,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 18 claims (40% of all) and $92,000. 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, 258 have fewer than Emporium.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 18 | $92,000 |
Cameron County, which includes Emporium, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 severe storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cameron County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.2 million a year, the 65th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (91%), 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 Emporium
- Saint Marys, PA16 mi
- Port Allegany, PA20 mi
- Smethport, PA22 mi
- Johnsonburg, PA22 mi
- Kersey, PA22 mi
- Coudersport, PA24 mi
- Renovo, PA26 mi
- Ridgway, PA26 mi
- Shinglehouse, PA30 mi
- Kane, PA30 mi
- Eldred, PA31 mi
- Lewis Run, PA31 mi
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