NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Orefield, 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
24 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Orefield, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 51 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 23
- Tornadoes
- 51
- 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 Orefield
The strongest storm to pass near Orefield was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Orefield begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The 1870s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 24 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Orefield. The highest rating among the 51 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 12 miles. Of the 51, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Orefield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 100 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Orefield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Orefield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 19 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Orefield: 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 Orefield
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s7
- 2000s1
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12
- 1960s1
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 12 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F3 | 10 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 4, 1950 | F3 | 23 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | F2 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 11 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 5, 1979 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F2 | 16 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 51, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Orefield
The Storm Prediction Center has 100 hail reports within 10 miles of Orefield since 1975, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 14, 2010. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. May has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Orefield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA, 8 miles southwest of Orefield at 550 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (27.0 of 48.8 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. That 48.8 inches is more than at 124 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (84%). Schnecksville, 4 miles north, has its own station (Allentown International Airport, PA): 47.4 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 20 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 4.1 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 48.8 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA (550 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 Orefield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 449 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Orefield: 335 thunderstorm wind reports, 55 flash floods, 21 heavy rain events, 20 floods and 18 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $5.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 30, 2015. August has had the most flash floods, 20 of 55. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 545 have had fewer than Orefield.
May 11, 1996: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Orefield — 1 injured.
September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Orefield — 1 injured.
April 10, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Orefield — 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 Orefield's ZIP code 18069 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $92,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 65% 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, 114 have fewer than Orefield.
Lehigh County, which includes Orefield, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lehigh 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, tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $128.3 million a year, the 8th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $68.0 million (53%), 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 Orefield
- Fogelsville, PA3 mi
- Schnecksville, PA4 mi
- Breinigsville, PA5 mi
- Coplay, PA6 mi
- Whitehall, PA6 mi
- Allentown, PA6 mi
- New Tripoli, PA7 mi
- Catasauqua, PA7 mi
- Macungie, PA8 mi
- Germansville, PA8 mi
- Northampton, PA8 mi
- Slatington, PA8 mi
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