NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montrose, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Montrose, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 37 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 37
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Montrose
The strongest storm to pass near Montrose was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Montrose begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 66 miles away. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Montrose. The highest rating among the 37 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1998, came within 16 miles. Of the 37, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on August 7, 2023. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Montrose. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Montrose.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Montrose
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 35 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Montrose: 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 Montrose
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s10
- 2000s8
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 26 mi | 2 / 15 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 17 mi | 62 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Sep 18, 1991 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1988 | F2 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 19, 1954 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 17, 1954 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 37, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Montrose
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Montrose since 1969, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 26, 1969. The most recent report is from April 30, 2024. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montrose
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montrose, PA, 3 miles northeast of Montrose at 1,420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 46.7 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (24.9 of 46.7 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal August there has highs of 79°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from August. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 82.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.7 inches is more than at 97 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (66%). Conklin, NY, 16 miles north, has its own station (Binghamton, NY): 42.1 inches a year, 4.6 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 3.4 | 9 | 20.6 |
| Feb | 33 | 13 | 2.8 | 6 | 15.9 |
| Mar | 41 | 21 | 3.6 | 9 | 18.6 |
| Apr | 55 | 32 | 4.1 | 8 | 4.5 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 75 | 52 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 56 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 54 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 47 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 36 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 3.3 | 8 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 36 | 19 | 3.6 | 8 | 14.9 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 46.7 | 93 | 82.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montrose, PA (1,420 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 Montrose
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 167 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montrose: 135 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 16, 2014. August has had the most flash floods, 19 of 29. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 418 have had fewer than Montrose.
September 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Montrose — 1 killed, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree which fell on a 31 year old man. Unfortunately the man passed away from his injuries.”
August 14, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Montrose — $500,000 damage.
July 24, 2017: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Montrose — $467,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding covered the intersection of PA 267 and the Milford-Owego turnpike.”
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 Montrose's ZIP code 18801 have filed 43 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 16. 21% 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, 248 have fewer than Montrose.
Susquehanna County, which includes Montrose, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Susquehanna County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.9 million a year, the 48th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.9 million (77%), 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 Montrose
- New Milford, PA10 mi
- Hallstead, PA11 mi
- Meshoppen, PA14 mi
- Nicholson, PA16 mi
- Conklin, NY16 mi
- Kirkwood, NY17 mi
- Laceyville, PA17 mi
- Vestal, NY18 mi
- Factoryville, PA19 mi
- Susquehanna, PA19 mi
- Wyalusing, PA20 mi
- Binghamton, NY20 mi
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