NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Kensington, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Kensington, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for New Kensington
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Kensington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near New Kensington begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 7 miles away. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than New Kensington. The strongest of the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 9 people. Of the 65, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on November 20, 2024. New Kensington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 119 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). New Kensington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Kensington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 53 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 | 31 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 New Kensington: 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 Kensington
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s6
- 2000s7
- 1990s9
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 5 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 140 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 10 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.8 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 20 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 16 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1981 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1980 | F2 | 22 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Kensington
The Storm Prediction Center has 119 hail reports within 10 miles of New Kensington since 1970, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 20, 2017. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Kensington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Salina 3 W, PA, 11 miles east of New Kensington at 1,109 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.8 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 140 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.8 inches is more than at 88 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (59%). Cheswick, 5 miles west, has its own station (Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr, PA): 38.3 inches a year, 7.5 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.5 | 9 | 7.1 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 2.8 | 7 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 3.5 | 8 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 3.4 | 8 | 5.7 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 45.8 | 97 | 28.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Salina 3 W, PA (1,109 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 Kensington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 532 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Kensington: 381 thunderstorm wind reports, 107 flash floods, 33 floods and 11 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $15.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 16, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 40 of 107. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 680 have had fewer than New Kensington.
September 28, 2019: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of New Kensington — 6 injured.
July 26, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of New Kensington — 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
July 16, 2021: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of New Kensington — 1 injured.
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 Kensington's ZIP code 15068 have filed 114 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $927,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 21 claims (18% of all) and $620,000. 25% 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, 395 have fewer than New Kensington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 21 | $620,000 |
Westmoreland County, which includes New Kensington, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Westmoreland County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $76.3 million a year, the 14th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $65.9 million (86%), 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 Kensington
- Brackenridge, PA3 mi
- Springdale, PA3 mi
- Tarentum, PA4 mi
- Natrona Heights, PA4 mi
- Cheswick, PA5 mi
- Oakmont, PA6 mi
- Verona, PA7 mi
- Leechburg, PA8 mi
- Apollo, PA9 mi
- Murrysville, PA9 mi
- Vandergrift, PA10 mi
- Monroeville, PA10 mi
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