NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Freedom, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Freedom, Pennsylvania since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 22
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for New Freedom
The strongest storm to pass near New Freedom was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near New Freedom begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 57 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 25 systems, 4 have come since 2000. New Freedom has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 89% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 19, 1996, came within 24 miles. Of the 82, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2024. New Freedom has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than New Freedom.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Freedom
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 33 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | overhead | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 68 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 1 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Freedom: 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 Freedom
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s16
- 2000s8
- 1990s26(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s5
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 1996 | F3 | 24 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F3 | 12 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 2004 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F2 | 14 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1995 | F2 | 22 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 59 |
| Jun 8, 1990 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1989 | F2 | 15 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Freedom
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of New Freedom since 1970, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 30, 1999. The most recent report is from April 15, 2024. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Freedom
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Millers 4 NE, MD, 7 miles west of New Freedom at 860 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. September is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.8 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (25.4 of 47.8 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 34.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.8 inches is more than at 109 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (74%). Seven Valleys, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (York 3 SSW Pump Stn, PA): 46.4 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 3.6 | 7 | 9.7 |
| Feb | 43 | 25 | 2.9 | 6 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 4.1 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 65 | 42 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.5 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 45 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 4.0 | 7 | 5.6 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 47.8 | 81 | 34.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Millers 4 NE, MD (860 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 Freedom
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 190 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Freedom: 163 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 12 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 26, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 15. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 267 have had fewer than New Freedom.
July 8, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of New Freedom — 1 killed, 8 injured, $500 damage.
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of New Freedom — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of New Freedom — $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
York County, which includes New Freedom, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives York County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $106.0 million a year, the 10th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.0 million (65%), 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 Freedom
- Shrewsbury, PAunder 1 mi
- Freeland, MD4 mi
- Glen Rock, PA4 mi
- Stewartstown, PA5 mi
- Parkton, MD7 mi
- Seven Valleys, PA8 mi
- White Hall, MD9 mi
- Jacobus, PA9 mi
- Glenville, PA9 mi
- Felton, PA10 mi
- Manchester, MD10 mi
- Dallastown, PA10 mi
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