NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lawrenceville, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 18
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Lawrenceville
The strongest storm to pass near Lawrenceville was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Lawrenceville begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 57 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Lawrenceville. The strongest of the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 2, 1983; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on August 7, 1972, killed 1 person. Of the 18, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 2019. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lawrenceville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lawrenceville.
Compare Lawrenceville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lawrenceville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 35 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lawrenceville: 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 Lawrenceville
By decade
- 2010s10
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 2, 1983 | F2 | 6 mi | 9.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1972 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Sep 2, 2014 | EF1 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2013 | EF1 | 22 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 25 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 14 mi | 8.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2011 | EF1 | 14 mi | 2.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1997 | F1 | 5 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lawrenceville
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Lawrenceville since 1984, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 31, 2002. The most recent report is from June 24, 2013.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lawrenceville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cowanesque Dam, PA, 2 miles northwest of Lawrenceville at 1,150 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 37.1 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 161 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.1 inches is more than at 4 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (3%). Tioga, 3 miles south, has its own station (Tioga Hammond Dam, PA): 36.4 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 15 | 2.2 | 6 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 35 | 15 | 1.7 | 5 | 9.1 |
| Mar | 44 | 22 | 2.7 | 6 | 6.7 |
| Apr | 57 | 33 | 3.2 | 7 | 1.7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 3.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 53 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 39 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 8.5 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 37.1 | 78 | 38.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cowanesque Dam, PA (1,150 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 Lawrenceville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lawrenceville: 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 27, 2011. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Lawrenceville.
September 7, 2011: flood 4 miles from the centre of Lawrenceville — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “A section of Business Route 15 near Mansfield was closed Wednesday night (9/7) into Thursday morning (9/8) by flood waters from the Tioga River and Canoe Camp Creek. The impacted stretch of roadway reopened by Thursday afternoon.”
August 18, 2021: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Lawrenceville — $200,000 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
Tioga County, which includes Lawrenceville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 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 Tioga County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.6 million a year, the 45th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.3 million (88%), 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.