NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jersey Shore, 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 Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was David in 1979. Since 1950, 40 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 40
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Jersey Shore
The strongest storm to pass near Jersey Shore was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Jersey Shore begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was David in 1979, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The 1880s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 10 systems has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Jersey Shore. The strongest of the 40 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 6 people. Of the 40, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2023. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jersey Shore. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Jersey Shore.
Compare Jersey Shore's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jersey Shore
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 15 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Jersey Shore: 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 Jersey Shore
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 2000s8
- 1990s13
- 1980s2(2 EF3+)
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 3 mi | 69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 6 mi | 19 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jul 29, 1976 | F3 | in town | 25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2018 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 20, 2015 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 40, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jersey Shore
The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Jersey Shore since 1973, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 28, 2019. The most recent report is from August 15, 2019. April has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jersey Shore
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lock Haven Sewage Plt, PA, 11 miles southwest of Jersey Shore at 566 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 18°F. September is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 41.9 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (23.2 of 41.9 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal August there has highs of 83°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.9 inches is more than at 34 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (23%). Linden, 6 miles east, has its own station (Williamsport 2, PA): 42.7 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 18 | 2.8 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.2 | 6 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 62 | 36 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 73 | 47 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 61 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 40 | 24 | 3.0 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Year | 61 | 39 | 41.9 | 84 | 29.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lock Haven Sewage Plt, PA (566 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 Jersey Shore
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jersey Shore: 98 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $385,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 14, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 5. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 71 have had fewer than Jersey Shore.
June 30, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Jersey Shore — 2 injured.
NWS: “A Jersey Shore couple were injured when a tree fell on their pickup truck.”
August 12, 2021: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Jersey Shore — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
December 3, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Jersey Shore — 1 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 Jersey Shore's ZIP code 17740 have filed 475 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 254 claims (53% of all) and $2.8 million, then Flooding in 1996 with 151. 87% 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, 526 have fewer than Jersey Shore.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 254 | $2.8 million |
| Flooding1996 | 151 | $580,000 |
Lycoming County, which includes Jersey Shore, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 5 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lycoming County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; 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 $40.9 million a year, the 23rd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $34.8 million (85%), 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 Jersey Shore
- Linden, PA6 mi
- Lock Haven, PA10 mi
- Cogan Station, PA12 mi
- Loganton, PA12 mi
- South Williamsport, PA12 mi
- Williamsport, PA13 mi
- Mill Hall, PA14 mi
- Allenwood, PA15 mi
- Montoursville, PA19 mi
- Trout Run, PA20 mi
- Montgomery, PA20 mi
- New Columbia, PA21 mi
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