NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harrison 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Harrison City, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Harrison City
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harrison City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Harrison City begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 19 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 Harrison City. The strongest of the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on August 3, 1963, killed 2 people. Of the 76, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Harrison City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 159 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Harrison City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harrison City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Harrison 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 Harrison City
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s12
- 2000s5
- 1990s12
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 17 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 140 |
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F3 | 8 mi | 11.8 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 2 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 6 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1997 | F2 | 18 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | in town | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 6 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harrison City
The Storm Prediction Center has 159 hail reports within 10 miles of Harrison City since 1973, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 78 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 4, 2012. The most recent report is from May 11, 2024. July has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harrison City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mckeesport, PA, 11 miles west of Harrison City at 740 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 91 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 124 nights a year. That 42.4 inches is more than at 43 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (29%). Jeannette, 3 miles southeast, has its own station (Mt Pleasant, PA): 44.0 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.0 | 8 |
| Feb | 42 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 64 | 38 | 3.8 | 9 |
| May | 74 | 47 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 61 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Year | 63 | 40 | 42.4 | 91 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mckeesport, PA (740 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 Harrison City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 571 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harrison City: 428 thunderstorm wind reports, 102 flash floods, 29 floods, 11 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $15.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on November 19, 2017. June has had the most flash floods, 38 of 102. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 677 have had fewer than Harrison City.
June 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Harrison City — 1 killed, $150,000 damage.
March 28, 2020: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Harrison City — 1 killed.
September 28, 2019: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Harrison City — 6 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 Harrison City's ZIP code 15636 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $2.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2009, with 11. Of the 553 Pennsylvania cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 99 have fewer than Harrison City.
Westmoreland County, which includes Harrison City, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Westmoreland County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $76.3 million a year, the 14th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $65.9 million (86%), 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 Harrison City
- Jeannette, PA3 mi
- Irwin, PA4 mi
- Trafford, PA5 mi
- Export, PA5 mi
- Delmont, PA6 mi
- Murrysville, PA6 mi
- Pitcairn, PA7 mi
- Greensburg, PA7 mi
- Monroeville, PA8 mi
- Wilmerding, PA8 mi
- East Mc Keesport, PA8 mi
- North Versailles, PA8 mi
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