NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fairchance, 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 Fairchance, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Fairchance
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fairchance; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Fairchance begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 55 miles away. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Fairchance. The strongest of the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 16, 1982, killed 1 person. Of the 44, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fairchance. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1973, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fairchance.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fairchance
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fairchance: 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 Fairchance
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s7
- 2000s2
- 1990s6
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 22 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 7 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1986 | F2 | 7 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F2 | 5 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F1 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | EF1 | 23 mi | 7.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | EF1 | 7 mi | 1.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 17 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fairchance
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Fairchance since 1973, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 14, 1984. The most recent report is from September 21, 2024. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fairchance
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Uniontown 1 NE, PA, 7 miles north of Fairchance at 956 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 44.5 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.5 inches is more than at 74 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (50%). Smithfield, 4 miles southwest, has its own station (Grays Landing, PA): 42.2 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 3.3 | 8 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 43 | 23 | 2.8 | 7 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 3.7 | 9 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 64 | 38 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.4 |
| May | 73 | 48 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 | 3.6 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 44.5 | 95 | 28.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Uniontown 1 NE, PA (956 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 Fairchance
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 233 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fairchance: 170 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 24 floods and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 16, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 18 of 36. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 456 have had fewer than Fairchance.
August 28, 2016: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Fairchance — $5.0 million damage.
July 1, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Fairchance — $2.0 million damage.
October 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Fairchance — $1.0 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
Fayette County, which includes Fairchance, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.1 million a year, the 26th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $32.3 million (87%), 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 Fairchance
- Smithfield, PA4 mi
- Hopwood, PA5 mi
- Uniontown, PA5 mi
- Mc Clellandtown, PA7 mi
- Masontown, PA8 mi
- Farmington, PA9 mi
- Lemont Furnace, PA9 mi
- New Salem, PA9 mi
- Point Marion, PA10 mi
- Dunbar, PA12 mi
- Carmichaels, PA13 mi
- Grindstone, PA14 mi
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