NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harrisville, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Harrisville, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Harrisville
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harrisville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Harrisville begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 15 miles away. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Harrisville. The strongest of the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 59, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Harrisville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1987, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Harrisville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harrisville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Harrisville: 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 Harrisville
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s11
- 2000s9
- 1990s7
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s1
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 17 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 21 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 4 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 10 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 1981 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 10, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harrisville
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Harrisville since 1987, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 14, 2024, the most recent report. April and August have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harrisville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Slippery Rock 1 SSW, PA, 8 miles southwest of Harrisville at 1,260 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 inches over 96 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. That 45.3 inches is more than at 84 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (57%). Polk, 13 miles north, has its own station (Franklin, PA): 46.5 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 17 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 37 | 18 | 2.7 | 7 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 3.9 | 9 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 77 | 54 | 4.8 | 9 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Aug | 80 | 56 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 45.3 | 96 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Slippery Rock 1 SSW, PA (1,260 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 Harrisville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 164 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harrisville: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 6, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 15. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 267 have had fewer than Harrisville.
July 20, 2023: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Harrisville — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
August 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Harrisville — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Trees and wires were reported down.”
August 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Harrisville — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Trees and wires were reported down by county officials.”
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
Butler County, which includes Harrisville, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Butler County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.7 million a year, the 20th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.3 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 Harrisville
- Grove City, PA6 mi
- Slippery Rock, PA9 mi
- West Sunbury, PA11 mi
- Polk, PA13 mi
- Emlenton, PA14 mi
- Stoneboro, PA14 mi
- Volant, PA14 mi
- Mercer, PA15 mi
- Parker, PA16 mi
- Portersville, PA17 mi
- Sandy Lake, PA17 mi
- Chicora, PA18 mi
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