NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fairless Hills, 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
45 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 38
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Fairless Hills
The strongest storm to pass near Fairless Hills was Gloria in 1985, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Sandy in 2012, whose centre came within 39 miles. The record near Fairless Hills begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 10 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 45 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Fairless Hills is tied for the most hurricanes within 75 miles among the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 29, 2021, came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on September 1, 2021, killed 1 person. Of the 84, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on June 14, 2024. Fairless Hills has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Fairless Hills has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Fairless Hills's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fairless Hills
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 39 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 64 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 73 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 53 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 67 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 50 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 70 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fairless Hills: 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 Fairless Hills
By decade
- 2020s24(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s7
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF3 | 6 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Sep 26, 1977 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F3 | 8 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.28 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 2023 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 8 mi | 6.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 8 mi | 20.77 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 9 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 17, 1988 | F2 | 6 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fairless Hills
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Fairless Hills since 1974, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 29, 1995. The most recent report is from April 1, 2023. July has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fairless Hills
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Neshaminy Falls, PA, 6 miles west of Fairless Hills at 40 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 50.8 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (26.7 of 50.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 45 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.8 inches is more than at 135 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (91%). Yardley, 3 miles northeast, has its own station (Trenton State College, NJ): 47.3 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Newbold, PA, 6 miles southeast, averaged 80°F in July and 37°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July. Sea level at the Philadelphia tide gauge, 23 miles from Fairless Hills, has risen 1.24 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1900 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 12.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 73 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 3.7 | 7 | 7.0 | 37 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 3.1 | 6 | 5.7 | 38 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 4.6 | 8 | 3.5 | 45 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 54 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 64 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 80 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 | 78 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.1 | 61 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 | 49 |
| Dec | 44 | 27 | 4.7 | 8 | 3.4 | 39 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 50.8 | 82 | 19.9 | 58 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Neshaminy Falls, PA (40 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Newbold, PA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Fairless Hills
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 589 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fairless Hills: 400 thunderstorm wind reports, 83 flash floods, 58 floods, 24 heavy rain events and 24 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 26, and the NWS estimated $46.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 71 mph, on April 1, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 34 of 83. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 644 have had fewer than Fairless Hills.
May 16, 2012: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Fairless Hills — 1 killed, 3 injured, $250,000 damage.
May 29, 2019: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Fairless Hills — 1 killed.
August 18, 2019: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Fairless Hills — 9 injured.
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 Fairless Hills's ZIP code 19030 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $291,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1996, with 11. 17% 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, 136 have fewer than Fairless Hills.
Bucks County, which includes Fairless Hills, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 7 floods, 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bucks County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $202.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $141.2 million (70%), 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.