NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Paoli, 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
33 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Paoli, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Paoli
The strongest storm to pass near Paoli was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Paoli begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 14 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 33 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Paoli has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2021, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 27, 1994, killed 3 people. Of the 85, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Paoli has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1967, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Paoli has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Paoli's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Paoli
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 67 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 45 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Paoli: 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 Paoli
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s4
- 1990s28(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s7
- 1960s7
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Mar 22, 1955 | F3 | in town | 9.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF3 | 25 mi | 12.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 22 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 14 mi | 8.28 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF2 | 9 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 2004 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 25 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | F2 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Paoli
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Paoli since 1967, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 39 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 August 10, 2008. The most recent report is from August 18, 2024. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Paoli
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Phoenixville 1 E, PA, 6 miles north of Paoli at 85 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (24.6 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 33 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. That 45.3 inches is more than at 81 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (55%). Devon, 3 miles east, has its own station (Norristown, PA): 50.7 inches a year, 5.4 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Marcus Hook, PA, 16 miles south, averaged 82°F in July and 39°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Philadelphia tide gauge, 20 miles from Paoli, has risen 1.24 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1900 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 12.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 73 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.2 | 6 | 39 |
| Feb | 44 | 24 | 2.9 | 6 | 39 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 3.7 | 7 | 46 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 3.5 | 6 | 55 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 3.3 | 6 | 64 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 3.9 | 7 | 74 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 | 82 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 | 81 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 4.4 | 6 | 75 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.9 | 6 | 66 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.4 | 5 | 55 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 4.1 | 7 | 43 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 45.3 | 76 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Phoenixville 1 E, PA (85 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Marcus Hook, PA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Paoli
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 652 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Paoli: 457 thunderstorm wind reports, 141 flash floods, 30 floods, 12 heavy rain events and 12 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $38.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 76 mph, on June 24, 2010. August has had the most flash floods, 52 of 141. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 706 have had fewer than Paoli.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Paoli — 2 killed, $21.0 million damage.
October 14, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Paoli — 1 killed, 1 injured.
June 24, 2010: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Paoli — 2 injured, $1.0 million 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
Chester County, which includes Paoli, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chester 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 $172.6 million a year, the 5th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $105.8 million (61%), 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.