NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Plains, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Plains, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 45 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 45
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Plains
The strongest storm to pass near Plains was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 82 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Plains begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 46 miles away. Of the 15 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Plains. The strongest of the 45 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 45, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2023. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Plains. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Plains has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Plains's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Plains
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 13 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Plains: 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 Plains
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s11
- 2000s4
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F3 | 21 mi | 26 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Jun 13, 2018 | EF2 | 2 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 25, 2017 | EF2 | 4 mi | 12.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F2 | 7 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 28, 1988 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1984 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Sep 13, 1972 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1968 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1960 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 21 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 45, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Plains
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Plains since 1961, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 24, 1985. The most recent report is from April 14, 2024. June has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Plains
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wilkes-Barre International Airport, PA, 8 miles northeast of Plains at 930 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. September is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 39.0 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 39.0 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal August there has highs of 82°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 45.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.0 inches is more than at 9 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (6%). Hunlock Creek, 13 miles west, has its own station (Benton 3 NE, PA): 48.6 inches a year, 9.6 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 2.6 | 6 | 11.7 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 2.1 | 6 | 10.9 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 2.8 | 7 | 10.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.8 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 2.9 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.8 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 39.0 | 80 | 45.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wilkes-Barre International Airport, PA (930 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 Plains
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 222 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Plains: 131 thunderstorm wind reports, 73 flash floods, 12 floods and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $54.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 27, 2001. July has had the most flash floods, 19 of 73. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 605 have had fewer than Plains.
June 22, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Plains — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
June 22, 2025: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Plains — 2 injured.
March 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Plains — 1 injured, $10,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Plains's ZIP code 18705 have filed 109 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011: 28 claims (26% of all) and $1.2 million, then Flooding in 1996 with 27. 61% 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, 389 have fewer than Plains.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 28 | $1.2 million |
| Flooding1996 | 27 | $388,000 |
Luzerne County, which includes Plains, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Luzerne County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $88.0 million a year, the 13th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.8 million (73%), 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.