NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Reading, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Reading, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 23
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Reading
The strongest storm to pass near Reading was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Reading begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 41 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 25 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Reading has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 27, 1994, killed 3 people. Of the 72, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on July 1, 2025. Reading has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Reading has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Reading's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Reading
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 68 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 14 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Reading: 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 Reading
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s12
- 2000s4
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Jun 18, 1970 | F3 | 17 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 10 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 4, 1950 | F3 | 3 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 8 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 5, 1979 | F2 | in town | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Reading
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Reading since 1956, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 22, 2014. The most recent report is from July 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Reading
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Reading Spaatz Field, PA, 3 miles northwest of Reading at 341 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 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 (25.8 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 107 nights a year. That 45.3 inches is more than at 81 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (55%). Sinking Spring, 6 miles west, has its own station (Blue Marsh Lake, PA): 48.3 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 23 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 51 | 32 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Apr | 63 | 42 | 3.4 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 52 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 57 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 65 | 45 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Nov | 54 | 35 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 43 | 28 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 45.3 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Reading Spaatz Field, PA (341 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 Reading
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 533 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Reading: 397 thunderstorm wind reports, 94 flash floods, 24 floods, 10 lightning strikes and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 6, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 45 of 94. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 667 have had fewer than Reading.
May 27, 2007: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Reading — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
September 12, 2013: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Reading — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
July 8, 2014: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Reading — 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 Reading's 7 ZIP codes have filed 377 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $8.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Not a named storm in 1979: 47 claims (12% of all) and $86,000, then Flooding in 1987 with 26 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999 with 11. 31% 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, 513 have fewer than Reading.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Not a named storm1979 | 47 | $86,000 |
| Flooding1987 | 26 | $123,000 |
| Hurricane Floyd1999 | 11 | $9,471 |
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 11 | $114,000 |
Berks County, which includes Reading, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Berks County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $119.5 million a year, the 9th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.1 million (58%), 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.