NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Howard, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Howard, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Howard
The strongest storm to pass near Howard was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Howard begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 62 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 15 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Howard. The strongest of the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 13 miles. Of the 23, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2023. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Howard. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1987, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Howard.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Howard
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 9 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Howard: 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 Howard
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 2000s2
- 1990s10
- 1980s1(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 13 mi | 69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1976 | F3 | 24 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 5, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF1 | 12 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 27, 2013 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2007 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F1 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1997 | F1 | 19 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 1997 | F1 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Howard
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Howard since 1987, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on October 2, 2018. The most recent report is from March 31, 2022. May has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Howard
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Millheim, PA, 14 miles southeast of Howard at 1,120 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 15°F. September is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (23.1 of 42.4 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.4 inches is more than at 43 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (29%). Bellefonte, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (State College, PA): 41.7 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 15 | 3.0 | 6 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 2.3 | 6 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 | 3.3 | 7 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 60 | 35 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.0 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 55 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 58 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 56 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 3.1 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 3.2 | 6 | 6.1 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 42.4 | 82 | 35.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Millheim, PA (1,120 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 Howard
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 119 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Howard: 112 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 3 flash floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $7.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on June 22, 2024.
June 27, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Howard — 1 killed, $2.1 million damage.
NWS: “Torrential rains of 4-6 inches in an hour caused significant flash flooding in the Beech Creek area. The flash flooding extended northeast along Route 150 into Mill Hall.”
October 20, 2016: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Howard — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
October 20, 2016: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Howard — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Intense heavy rainfall brought flash flooding to Centre County late in the evening on Thursday October 20th, continuing until daybreak on Friday October 21st. Up to eight inches of rain fell in a short time, resulting in evacuations and rescues in low lying areas that were flooded.”
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
Centre County, which includes Howard, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Centre 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 hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.9 million a year, the 35th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (78%), 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 Howard
- Bellefonte, PA9 mi
- Mill Hall, PA11 mi
- Centre Hall, PA13 mi
- Spring Mills, PA14 mi
- Lock Haven, PA15 mi
- Julian, PA15 mi
- Boalsburg, PA18 mi
- University Park, PA18 mi
- State College, PA19 mi
- Loganton, PA19 mi
- Renovo, PA24 mi
- Reedsville, PA24 mi
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