NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jim Thorpe, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 51 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 51
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Jim Thorpe
The strongest storm to pass near Jim Thorpe was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Jim Thorpe begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 74 miles away. Of the 16 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Jim Thorpe. The strongest of the 51 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on July 26, 1981; its path came within 12 miles. Of the 51, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2024. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jim Thorpe. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Jim Thorpe.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jim Thorpe
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 6 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Jim Thorpe: 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 Jim Thorpe
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s10
- 2000s4
- 1990s6
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 1981 | F3 | 12 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 13, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 25, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 12.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.58 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F2 | 18 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 15, 1992 | F2 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 5, 1979 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 1972 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1968 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1950 | F2 | 21 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 51, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jim Thorpe
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Jim Thorpe since 1966, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 17, 2007. The most recent report is from July 25, 2023. July has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jim Thorpe
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Allentown International Airport, PA, 22 miles southeast of Jim Thorpe at 390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (26.4 of 47.4 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal August there has highs of 84°F and 4.6 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 118 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.4 inches is more than at 108 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (73%). Weatherly, 7 miles west, has its own station (Mahanoy City 2 N, PA): 53.7 inches a year, 6.3 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 22 | 3.3 | 6 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 2.8 | 6 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 51 | 31 | 3.6 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.5 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 43 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 47.4 | 82 | 33.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Allentown International Airport, PA (390 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 Jim Thorpe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jim Thorpe: 119 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 10 floods, 9 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $71,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 74 mph, on June 25, 2000. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 247 have had fewer than Jim Thorpe.
August 13, 2016: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Jim Thorpe — 1 killed, 2 injured.
August 28, 2011: flood 8 miles from the centre of Jim Thorpe — 1 killed.
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
Carbon County, which includes Jim Thorpe, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carbon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.6 million a year, the 43rd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.2 million (57%), 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 Jim Thorpe
- Lehighton, PA6 mi
- Weatherly, PA7 mi
- Palmerton, PA9 mi
- Nesquehoning, PA9 mi
- Albrightsville, PA10 mi
- Kunkletown, PA10 mi
- Summit Hill, PA11 mi
- Lansford, PA11 mi
- White Haven, PA12 mi
- Walnutport, PA12 mi
- Freeland, PA13 mi
- Slatington, PA13 mi
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