NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Union, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mount Union, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Mount Union
The strongest storm to pass near Mount Union was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Mount Union 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 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Mount Union. The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 19, 2019, came within 18 miles. Of the 23, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 2019. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mount Union. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 10 times since 1985, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Union.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Union
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 31 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | overhead | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mount Union: 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 Mount Union
By decade
- 2010s10
- 1990s5
- 1980s5
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 1991 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 20, 1989 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 23, 1952 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 8 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 8 mi | 5.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2013 | EF1 | 14 mi | 3.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2011 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 3.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Union
The Storm Prediction Center has 10 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Union since 1985, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 4, 2023. The most recent report is from August 4, 2023. June and July have the most reports, 3 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Union
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Raystown Lake 2, PA, 11 miles west of Mount Union at 1,000 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.7 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (21.3 of 40.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. That 40.7 inches is more than at 16 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (11%). Mc Veytown, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Lewistown, PA): 42.3 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.7 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 34 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 42 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 40.7 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Raystown Lake 2, PA (1,000 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 Mount Union
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 83 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Union: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 35, and the NWS estimated $438,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 10, 2008.
June 29, 2019: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Mount Union — 35 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm producing winds estimated near 60 mph knocked down more than a dozen trees, as well as multiple camping tents and a large party tent. 35 people were injured, although most were minor bumps and bruises, with 3 people being transported to a local hospital by ambulance.”
May 28, 2009: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Mount Union — $250,000 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 Mount Union's ZIP code 17066 have filed 57 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $670,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 20 claims (35% of all) and $239,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 20. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 20. 72% 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, 289 have fewer than Mount Union.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 20 | $239,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 20 | $415,000 |
Huntingdon County, which includes Mount Union, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Huntingdon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.5 million a year, the 52nd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.8 million (76%), 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 Mount Union
- Mc Veytown, PA8 mi
- Huntingdon, PA11 mi
- Three Springs, PA14 mi
- Belleville, PA17 mi
- Alexandria, PA18 mi
- Petersburg, PA18 mi
- Williamsburg, PA19 mi
- Saxton, PA21 mi
- Lewistown, PA22 mi
- Newburg, PA22 mi
- Orrstown, PA24 mi
- Martinsburg, PA24 mi
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