NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Castle, 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 New Castle, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
30 deaths in all
What the records show for New Castle
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Castle; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near New Castle begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 6 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 New Castle. The strongest of the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 83, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. New Castle has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 95 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). New Castle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Castle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Castle: 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 New Castle
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s13
- 2000s10
- 1990s19
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 15 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 14 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 10 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 10 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1978 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Castle
The Storm Prediction Center has 95 hail reports within 10 miles of New Castle since 1973, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 14, 2024. The most recent report is from October 6, 2024. April and May have the most reports, 24 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Castle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 1 N, PA, 2 miles northwest of New Castle at 825 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.0 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.0 inches is more than at 35 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (24%). Portersville, 11 miles east, has its own station (Slippery Rock 1 SSW, PA): 45.3 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 2.9 | 7 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 2.2 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 63 | 36 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 56 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 60 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 52 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.1 | 7 | 4.9 |
| Year | 63 | 39 | 42.0 | 89 | 27.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Castle 1 N, PA (825 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 New Castle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 348 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Castle: 272 thunderstorm wind reports, 53 flash floods and 23 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on July 28, 1999. June has had the most flash floods, 19 of 53. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 542 have had fewer than New Castle.
July 9, 2023: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of New Castle — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Three to five inches of rain fell in southwest Lawrence over a 3 hour period. At least eight homes were impacted by flooding in Wayne and Shenango Townships.”
July 28, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of New Castle — $200,000 damage.
July 17, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of New Castle — $100,000 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 New Castle's 3 ZIP codes have filed 98 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $611,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 22. 8% 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, 373 have fewer than New Castle.
Lawrence County, which includes New Castle, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.6 million a year, the 36th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.8 million (89%), 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 New Castle
- Edinburg, PA6 mi
- Wampum, PA8 mi
- Volant, PA9 mi
- New Wilmington, PA9 mi
- Portersville, PA11 mi
- Ellwood City, PA11 mi
- Lowellville, OH11 mi
- Enon Valley, PA11 mi
- New Middletown, OH12 mi
- West Middlesex, PA13 mi
- Struthers, OH14 mi
- Campbell, OH14 mi
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