NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Macungie, 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
26 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Macungie, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 25
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Macungie
The strongest storm to pass near Macungie was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Macungie begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 46 miles away. The 1870s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 26 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Macungie. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 27, 1994, killed 3 people. Of the 65, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Macungie has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Macungie has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Macungie's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Macungie
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 25 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Macungie: 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 Macungie
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s7
- 2000s1
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s3
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 3 / 25 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 9 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 4, 1950 | F3 | 21 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 20.77 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 3 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | in town | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 8 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 6 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 5, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Macungie
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Macungie since 1962, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 14, 2010. The most recent report is from June 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Macungie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA, 9 miles west of Macungie at 550 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (27.0 of 48.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 26 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. That 48.8 inches is more than at 124 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (84%). Emmaus, 4 miles east, has its own station (Allentown International Airport, PA): 47.4 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 20 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 4.1 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 48.8 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA (550 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 Macungie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 467 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Macungie: 327 thunderstorm wind reports, 79 flash floods, 39 floods, 11 heavy rain events and 11 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 15, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 29 of 79. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 633 have had fewer than Macungie.
August 4, 2020: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Macungie — 1 killed, $3,000 damage.
May 11, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Macungie — 1 injured.
September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Macungie — 1 injured.
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 Macungie's ZIP code 18062 have filed 147 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Isaias in 2020: 27 claims (18% of all) and $983,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 15 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 14. 56% 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, 435 have fewer than Macungie.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Isaias2020 | 27 | $983,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 15 | $281,000 |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 14 | $130,000 |
| Not a named storm1979 | 10 | $20,000 |
Lehigh County, which includes Macungie, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lehigh County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $128.3 million a year, the 8th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $68.0 million (53%), 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.