NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Wilmington, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
47 deaths in all
What the records show for New Wilmington
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Wilmington; the strongest was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near New Wilmington begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm directly overhead. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than New Wilmington. The strongest of the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 77, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. New Wilmington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1956, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). New Wilmington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare New Wilmington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Wilmington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 66 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 Wilmington: 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 Wilmington
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s14
- 2000s11
- 1990s17
- 1980s10(3 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 6 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 23 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 2, 1972 | F3 | 24 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 11 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 13 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 8 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 6 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Wilmington
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of New Wilmington since 1956, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 14, 2024. The most recent report is from October 6, 2024. May has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Wilmington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 1 N, PA, 8 miles south of New Wilmington 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. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (23.1 of 42.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. 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%). Mercer, 9 miles northeast, 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 Wilmington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 308 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Wilmington: 273 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods and 17 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.2 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, 8 of 18. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 313 have had fewer than New Wilmington.
July 17, 2010: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of New Wilmington — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
October 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of New Wilmington — $1.0 million damage.
July 28, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of New Wilmington — $200,000 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
Mercer County, which includes New Wilmington, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mercer County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and tornadoes; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.1 million a year, the 28th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.1 million (85%), 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.