NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leechburg, 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 Leechburg, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Leechburg
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leechburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Leechburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm directly overhead. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Leechburg. The strongest of the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 1 mile. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 9 people. Of the 67, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Leechburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Leechburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leechburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Leechburg: 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 Leechburg
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s6
- 2000s7
- 1990s12
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 1 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 140 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 9 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.8 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 17 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1981 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F2 | 10 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leechburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Leechburg since 1970, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 20, 2017. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leechburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ford City 4 S Dam, PA, 8 miles northeast of Leechburg at 930 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.2 of 44.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. That 44.4 inches is more than at 73 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (49%). Vandergrift, 3 miles southeast, has its own station (Salina 3 W, PA): 45.8 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 17 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Feb | 39 | 18 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 62 | 35 | 3.7 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 46 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 80 | 55 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 59 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Aug | 83 | 58 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 51 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Oct | 64 | 39 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Nov | 51 | 30 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 44.4 | 92 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ford City 4 S Dam, PA (930 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 Leechburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 388 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leechburg: 294 thunderstorm wind reports, 61 flash floods, 27 floods and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 16, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 20 of 61. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 559 have had fewer than Leechburg.
July 16, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Leechburg — 1 injured.
May 11, 2010: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Leechburg — $100,000 damage.
February 28, 2011: flood 8 miles from the centre of Leechburg — $100,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Leechburg's ZIP code 15656 have filed 66 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 30 claims (45% of all) and $711,000, then Flooding in 1996 with 11. 62% 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, 313 have fewer than Leechburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 30 | $711,000 |
| Flooding1996 | 11 | $246,000 |
Westmoreland County, which includes Leechburg, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Westmoreland County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $76.3 million a year, the 14th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $65.9 million (86%), 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 Leechburg
- Vandergrift, PA3 mi
- Apollo, PA5 mi
- Natrona Heights, PA6 mi
- Freeport, PA6 mi
- Brackenridge, PA7 mi
- New Kensington, PA8 mi
- Sarver, PA9 mi
- Tarentum, PA9 mi
- Ford City, PA10 mi
- Avonmore, PA10 mi
- Springdale, PA11 mi
- Cheswick, PA12 mi
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