NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mc Donald, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mc Donald, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Mc Donald
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mc Donald; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Mc Donald begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 33 miles away. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 92% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mc Donald. The strongest of the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 3, 1963; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 59, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mc Donald. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 134 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Mc Donald has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mc Donald
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mc Donald: 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 Mc Donald
By decade
- 2020s23
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s7
- 1980s6
- 1970s10
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 7 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1990 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 20 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 13 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2025 | EF1 | 8 mi | 13.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 11.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 4 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mc Donald
The Storm Prediction Center has 134 hail reports within 10 miles of Mc Donald since 1970, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 81 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 25, 2024. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mc Donald
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pittsburgh International Airport, PA, 9 miles north of Mc Donald at 1,203 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 39.6 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 114 nights a year. Snowfall averages 44.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.6 inches is more than at 11 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (7%). Bridgeville, 6 miles east, has its own station (Pittsburgh Allegheny Co Airport, PA): 41.3 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 3.0 | 7 | 13.3 |
| Feb | 40 | 23 | 2.6 | 7 | 11.7 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 3.2 | 8 | 7.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 41 | 3.3 | 9 | 1.0 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 55 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 2.8 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 2.9 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 2.8 | 7 | 7.7 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 39.6 | 86 | 44.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pittsburgh International Airport, PA (1,203 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 Mc Donald
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 483 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mc Donald: 344 thunderstorm wind reports, 96 flash floods, 28 floods, 12 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $15.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 13, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 33 of 96. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 670 have had fewer than Mc Donald.
June 20, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Mc Donald — 1 injured, $10.1 million damage.
May 3, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mc Donald — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
July 22, 2011: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Mc Donald — 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 Mc Donald's ZIP code 15057 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, 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: 12 claims (19% of all) and $234,000. 34% 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, 306 have fewer than Mc Donald.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 12 | $234,000 |
Washington County, which includes Mc Donald, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $57.4 million a year, the 17th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $51.5 million (90%), 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 Mc Donald
- Oakdale, PA5 mi
- Bridgeville, PA6 mi
- Imperial, PA7 mi
- Mc Murray, PA7 mi
- Houston, PA8 mi
- Carnegie, PA8 mi
- Burgettstown, PA10 mi
- Coraopolis, PA10 mi
- Bethel Park, PA11 mi
- Mc Kees Rocks, PA12 mi
- Venetia, PA12 mi
- Clinton, PA12 mi
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