NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mc Kees Rocks, 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 Kees Rocks, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 71
- 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 Mc Kees Rocks
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mc Kees Rocks; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Mc Kees Rocks begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 21 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 Kees Rocks. The strongest of the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 9 people. Of the 71, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Mc Kees Rocks has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 254 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Mc Kees Rocks has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mc Kees Rocks
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 48 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 Mc Kees Rocks: 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 Kees Rocks
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s8
- 2000s2
- 1990s11
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 22 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 140 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 20 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 17 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1990 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 17 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 1 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mc Kees Rocks
The Storm Prediction Center has 254 hail reports within 10 miles of Mc Kees Rocks since 1962, made on 107 separate days. Of these, 146 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 14, 1984. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 61.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mc Kees Rocks
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr, PA, 2 miles north of Mc Kees Rocks at 717 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 107 nights a year. That 38.3 inches is more than at 7 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (5%). Pittsburgh, 6 miles east, has its own station (Pittsburgh Allegheny Co Airport, PA): 41.3 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 42 | 22 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 64 | 39 | 3.2 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 78 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 38.3 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr, PA (717 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 Kees Rocks
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 889 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mc Kees Rocks: 581 thunderstorm wind reports, 237 flash floods, 48 floods, 21 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 6 people and injured 74, and the NWS estimated $79.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on May 31, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 75 of 237. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 775 have had fewer than Mc Kees Rocks.
August 19, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Mc Kees Rocks — 4 killed, 1 injured, $500,000 damage.
May 31, 2002: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Mc Kees Rocks — 1 killed, 54 injured, $10.0 million damage.
April 29, 2025: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Mc Kees Rocks — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1,000 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 Mc Kees Rocks's ZIP code 15136 have filed 97 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 Flooding in 1996: 21 claims (22% of all) and $1.2 million, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 13. 35% 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, 371 have fewer than Mc Kees Rocks.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 21 | $1.2 million |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 13 | $280,000 |
Allegheny County, which includes Mc Kees Rocks, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Allegheny County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $354.2 million a year, the 2nd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $295.0 million (83%), 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 Kees Rocks
- Carnegie, PA5 mi
- Pittsburgh, PA6 mi
- Coraopolis, PA6 mi
- Oakdale, PA7 mi
- Glenshaw, PA7 mi
- Sewickley, PA7 mi
- Bridgeville, PA9 mi
- Allison Park, PA9 mi
- Imperial, PA10 mi
- Crescent, PA10 mi
- Wexford, PA10 mi
- Bethel Park, PA10 mi
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