NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Quakertown, 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 Quakertown, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Quakertown
The strongest storm to pass near Quakertown was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Quakertown begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 37 miles away. 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 Quakertown. The highest rating among the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 27, 1994, killed 3 people. Of the 67, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Quakertown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Quakertown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Quakertown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | overhead | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 37 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Quakertown: 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 Quakertown
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s9
- 1960s6
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 3 / 25 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 20 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8.28 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 12 mi | 20.77 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 11 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 19 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 17 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1962 | F2 | 23 mi | 16.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Quakertown
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Quakertown since 1962, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 29, 2019. The most recent report is from July 25, 2023. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Quakertown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sellersville, PA, 7 miles south of Quakertown at 302 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 51.7 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (27.5 of 51.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 28 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. Snowfall averages 21.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.7 inches is more than at 141 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (95%). Coopersburg, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Springtown 1 NNE, PA): 53.3 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 19 | 3.6 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 3.1 | 7 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 4.4 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 4.1 | 8 | 1.1 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 4.4 | 8 | 3.2 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 51.7 | 86 | 21.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sellersville, PA (302 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 Quakertown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 325 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Quakertown: 226 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 flash floods, 34 floods, 14 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 10, 2023. August has had the most flash floods, 17 of 49. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 525 have had fewer than Quakertown.
August 4, 2020: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Quakertown — 1 killed, $3,000 damage.
July 27, 2008: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Quakertown — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
April 15, 2007: flood 1 mile from the centre of Quakertown — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “The heavy rain caused flooding across Bucks County with the worst reported flooding along the Neshaminy Creek. Ground floor apartments, roadways and basements flooded in floods prone areas along the creek in Bensalem, Bristol, Middletown, Hulmeville and Northamptom.”
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 Quakertown's ZIP code 18951 have filed 159 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $6.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ida in 2021: 25 claims (16% of all) and $2.0 million, then Hurricane Isaias in 2020 with 20 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 19. 53% 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, 449 have fewer than Quakertown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 25 | $2.0 million |
| Hurricane Isaias2020 | 20 | $1.3 million |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 19 | $514,000 |
Bucks County, which includes Quakertown, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 7 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 Bucks County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $202.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $141.2 million (70%), 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 Quakertown
- Coopersburg, PA5 mi
- Sellersville, PA6 mi
- Perkasie, PA7 mi
- Center Valley, PA7 mi
- Telford, PA8 mi
- Pennsburg, PA8 mi
- Red Hill, PA9 mi
- Green Lane, PA9 mi
- East Greenville, PA9 mi
- Zionsville, PA9 mi
- Dublin, PA9 mi
- Kintnersville, PA10 mi
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