NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kulpmont, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kulpmont, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Kulpmont
The strongest storm to pass near Kulpmont was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Kulpmont begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 64 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 19 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Kulpmont has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 26, 1981, came within 13 miles. Of the 46, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2024. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kulpmont. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kulpmont.
Compare Kulpmont's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kulpmont
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 48 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 26 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kulpmont: 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 Kulpmont
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7
- 2000s4
- 1990s13
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s2
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 1981 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 12, 1953 | F2 | 11 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1950 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2024 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 2015 | EF1 | 12 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2011 | EF1 | 18 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2011 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2004 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kulpmont
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Kulpmont since 1963, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on May 22, 2014. The most recent report is from May 28, 2019. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kulpmont
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bear Gap, PA, 2 miles northwest of Kulpmont at 1,015 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. September is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 48.2 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal August there has highs of 80°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.2 inches is more than at 112 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (76%). Frackville, 13 miles east, has its own station (Mahanoy City 2 N, PA): 53.7 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 3.5 | 7 | 9.3 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 8.9 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 48.2 | 89 | 33.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bear Gap, PA (1,015 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 Kulpmont
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kulpmont: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $15.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 18, 2003. September has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 71 have had fewer than Kulpmont.
August 16, 2016: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Kulpmont — 4 injured, $6,000 damage.
September 7, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Kulpmont — $15.5 million damage.
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
Northumberland County, which includes Kulpmont, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Northumberland 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 $37.3 million a year, the 25th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $30.2 million (81%), 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.