NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pottstown, 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
28 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pottstown, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Pottstown
The strongest storm to pass near Pottstown was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Pottstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The 1870s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 28 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Pottstown. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 27, 1994, killed 3 people. Of the 68, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Pottstown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Pottstown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pottstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 31 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 70 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 Pottstown: 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 Pottstown
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s5
- 2000s2
- 1990s22(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s8
- 1960s5
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Mar 22, 1955 | F3 | 16 mi | 9.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 4, 1950 | F3 | 19 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.28 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF2 | 23 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pottstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Pottstown since 1962, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 21, 2003. The most recent report is from July 8, 2025. July has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pottstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pottstown Limerick Airport, PA, 5 miles east of Pottstown at 291 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 22°F. September is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 28 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. That 45.3 inches is more than at 80 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (54%). Schwenksville, 9 miles east, has its own station (Graterford 1 E, PA): 48.6 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 22 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 23 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Sep | 75 | 55 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Nov | 52 | 34 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 42 | 27 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 45.3 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pottstown Limerick Airport, PA (291 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 Pottstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 398 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pottstown: 287 thunderstorm wind reports, 64 flash floods, 35 floods, 8 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $25.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on May 29, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 25 of 64. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 573 have had fewer than Pottstown.
July 11, 2019: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Pottstown — 2 killed.
October 1, 2010: flood 2 miles from the centre of Pottstown — 1 killed, $750,000 damage.
NWS: “The Perkiomen Valley was hit the hardest by flooding in Montgomery County. A 55-year-old woman drowned after she drove into flood waters of the Skippack Creek on the morning of October 1st off Stump Hall road just north of Anders Road near Evansburg State Park near Skippack.”
August 28, 2011: flood in Pottstown — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A 65-year-old woman on her way to work drowned in her car in the Wissahickon Creek in Fort Washington. The Schuylkill River at Norristown had major flooding and its fourth highest crest on record, highest since Hurricane Floyd in 1999.”
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 Pottstown's 2 ZIP codes have filed 477 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Not a named storm in 1979: 136 claims (29% of all) and $225,000, then Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 with 36 and Flooding in 1996 with 16. The year with the most claims was 2006, with 162. 47% 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, 528 have fewer than Pottstown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Not a named storm1979 | 136 | $225,000 |
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 36 | $252,000 |
| Flooding1996 | 16 | $68,000 |
| Hurricane Isaias2020 | 14 | $179,000 |
Montgomery County, which includes Pottstown, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Montgomery County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $296.7 million a year, the 3rd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $192.6 million (65%), 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 Pottstown
- Gilbertsville, PA6 mi
- Spring City, PA6 mi
- Douglassville, PA6 mi
- Royersford, PA6 mi
- Boyertown, PA7 mi
- Perkiomenville, PA8 mi
- Schwenksville, PA9 mi
- Bechtelsville, PA9 mi
- Birdsboro, PA10 mi
- Phoenixville, PA10 mi
- Chester Springs, PA10 mi
- Elverson, PA10 mi
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