NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ridgway, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ridgway, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Ridgway
The strongest storm to pass near Ridgway was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Ridgway begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Ridgway. The highest rating among the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 10 miles. Of the 35, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ridgway. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ridgway.
Compare Ridgway's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ridgway
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 55 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ridgway: 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 Ridgway
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 2000s7
- 1990s5
- 1980s5(3 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 10 mi | 29 mi | 7 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 11 mi | 29 mi | 4 / 40 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 17 mi | 69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1963 | F3 | in town | 8.4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 23 mi | 28.7 mi | 1 / 7 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 14 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 2021 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.16 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2021 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2018 | EF1 | 11 mi | 2.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ridgway
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Ridgway since 1974, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 7 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 May 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 2, 2012. June and July have the most reports, 4 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ridgway
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ridgway, PA, in Ridgway at 1,360 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 16°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 45.6 inches over 100 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. Snowfall averages 52.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.6 inches is more than at 85 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (57%). Johnsonburg, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Glen Hazel 2 NE Dam, PA): 46.7 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 16 | 3.4 | 9 | 15.3 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 2.7 | 7 | 12.5 |
| Mar | 45 | 23 | 3.4 | 8 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 59 | 33 | 3.9 | 9 | 1.5 |
| May | 70 | 43 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 52 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 55 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 30 | 3.5 | 8 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 3.5 | 8 | 12.3 |
| Year | 59 | 36 | 45.6 | 100 | 52.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ridgway, PA (1,360 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 Ridgway
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ridgway: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 27, 2002.
April 3, 2005: flood 8 miles from the centre of Ridgway — $1.0 million damage.
May 18, 2008: lightning strike in Ridgway — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The Elk County 911 Center sustained a lightening strike that disrupted nearly all communications and damaged or destroyed key equipment. EMA officials said they lost several computers and dispatchers were using portable radios to dispatch emergency crews.”
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 Ridgway's ZIP code 15853 have filed 218 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 47 claims (22% of all) and $1.7 million. The year with the most claims was 2014, with 61. 25% 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, 476 have fewer than Ridgway.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 47 | $1.7 million |
Elk County, which includes Ridgway, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 severe storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Elk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.5 million a year, the 53rd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.1 million (85%), 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 Ridgway
- Johnsonburg, PA6 mi
- Kersey, PA9 mi
- Saint Marys, PA11 mi
- Brockway, PA13 mi
- Kane, PA15 mi
- Du Bois, PA20 mi
- Marienville, PA21 mi
- Reynoldsville, PA24 mi
- Brookville, PA24 mi
- Emporium, PA26 mi
- Lewis Run, PA29 mi
- Smethport, PA31 mi
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