NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ligonier, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ligonier, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Ligonier
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ligonier; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 72 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Ligonier begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 70% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ligonier. The strongest of the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 11, 1976, killed 1 person. Of the 68, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Ligonier has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Ligonier has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ligonier
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ligonier: 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 Ligonier
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s12
- 2000s4
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 14 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F3 | 4 mi | 11.8 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 11 mi | 1.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 15, 1997 | F2 | 7 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 15 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1980 | F2 | 13 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ligonier
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Ligonier since 1962, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 30 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 May 28, 1966. The most recent report is from May 4, 2025. June and July have the most reports, 14 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ligonier
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laurel Mountain, PA, 4 miles southeast of Ligonier at 2,760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 49.5 inches over 115 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 49.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 72°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. That 49.5 inches is more than at 127 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (86%). Latrobe, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Mt Pleasant, PA): 44.0 inches a year, 5.5 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 19 | 4.1 | 11 |
| Feb | 39 | 20 | 3.3 | 10 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 4.6 | 11 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 4.5 | 12 |
| Jun | 76 | 57 | 5.0 | 10 |
| Jul | 80 | 61 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Aug | 78 | 59 | 4.0 | 8 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 3.6 | 9 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 3.6 | 10 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 49.5 | 115 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Laurel Mountain, PA (2,760 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 Ligonier
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 230 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ligonier: 183 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods and 20 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $5.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on March 16, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 16 of 27. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 401 have had fewer than Ligonier.
June 16, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ligonier — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.
May 3, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ligonier — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ligonier — 1 injured, $5,000 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 Ligonier's ZIP code 15658 have filed 285 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 70 claims (25% of all) and $492,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 38. 41% 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, 496 have fewer than Ligonier.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 70 | $492,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 38 | $381,000 |
Westmoreland County, which includes Ligonier, 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 Ligonier
- Derry, PA7 mi
- Latrobe, PA9 mi
- Boswell, PA10 mi
- New Florence, PA12 mi
- Acme, PA13 mi
- Blairsville, PA14 mi
- Hollsopple, PA15 mi
- New Alexandria, PA16 mi
- Davidsville, PA16 mi
- Seward, PA16 mi
- Greensburg, PA17 mi
- Somerset, PA17 mi
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