NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hanover, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hanover, Pennsylvania since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 22
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Hanover
The strongest storm to pass near Hanover was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. The record near Hanover begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 73 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 25 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Hanover has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 89% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 19, 1996, came within 20 miles. Of the 82, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2024. Hanover has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Hanover has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hanover
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 17 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 52 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 16 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hanover: 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 Hanover
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12
- 2000s9
- 1990s24(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s6
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 1996 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 22, 1983 | F3 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F3 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F3 | in town | 17.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F2 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 59 |
| Jun 8, 1990 | F2 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hanover
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Hanover since 1969, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 10 days, most recently September 21, 2024. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hanover
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hanover 4 SW, PA, 3 miles southwest of Hanover at 558 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°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 44.1 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (23.7 of 44.1 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 44.1 inches is more than at 67 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (45%). Abbottstown, 7 miles north, has its own station (York Airport, PA): 42.3 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.0 | 6 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 2.6 | 5 | 9.7 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 3.7 | 7 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 43 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 44.1 | 78 | 28.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hanover 4 SW, PA (558 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 Hanover
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 200 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hanover: 166 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 13 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $10.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 23, 2011. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 334 have had fewer than Hanover.
June 6, 2026: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hanover — 1 killed.
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hanover — $5.0 million damage.
June 21, 2021: thunderstorm wind in Hanover — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm with estimated winds near 60 mph brought down multiple trees.”
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 Hanover's ZIP code 17331 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $395,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 34% 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, 225 have fewer than Hanover.
York County, which includes Hanover, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives York County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $106.0 million a year, the 10th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.0 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.
Cities near Hanover
- Mcsherrystown, PA2 mi
- Abbottstown, PA7 mi
- Spring Grove, PA7 mi
- Glenville, PA7 mi
- New Oxford, PA7 mi
- Littlestown, PA8 mi
- Thomasville, PA10 mi
- Manchester, MD10 mi
- East Berlin, PA12 mi
- Seven Valleys, PA12 mi
- Glen Rock, PA12 mi
- Gettysburg, PA14 mi
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