NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rome, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rome, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was David in 1979. Since 1950, 34 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 34
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Rome
The strongest storm to pass near Rome was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Rome begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was David in 1979, a tropical storm 21 miles away. The 1870s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 10 systems has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Rome. The highest rating among the 34 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1998, came within 24 miles. Of the 34, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 28, 2019. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rome. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rome.
Compare Rome's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rome
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 54 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rome: 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 Rome
By decade
- 2010s10
- 2000s6
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3(2 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F3 | 24 mi | 26 mi | 2 / 15 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 13 mi | 62 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 10 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 13, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 19, 1954 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 7 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2016 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 2, 2014 | EF1 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 13 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 34, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rome
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Rome since 1975, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 12 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 30, 2020. The most recent report is from June 26, 2023. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rome
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waverly, NY, 13 miles northwest of Rome at 845 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 36.7 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 58% of the year's precipitation (21.2 of 36.7 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 62°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. That 36.7 inches is more than at 2 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (1%). Apalachin, NY, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Binghamton, NY): 42.1 inches a year, 5.4 more than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 16 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 45 | 24 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 59 | 34 | 3.4 | 8 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 54 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 50 | 30 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 37 | 36.7 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waverly, NY (845 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 Rome
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 101 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rome: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $18.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 28, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 19 of 44. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 501 have had fewer than Rome.
September 7, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Rome — $8.0 million damage.
September 7, 2011: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Rome — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Catastrophic flash flooding occurred along Route 187. Numerous roads, homes and bridges were severely damaged.”
September 7, 2011: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Rome — $2.0 million 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 Rome's ZIP code 18837 have filed 60 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011: 11 claims (18% of all) and $310,000. The year with the most claims was 2017, with 22. 22% 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, 294 have fewer than Rome.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 11 | $310,000 |
Bradford County, which includes Rome, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 7 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bradford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.2 million a year, the 30th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $28.3 million (88%), 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 Rome
- Nichols, NY8 mi
- Athens, PA11 mi
- Barton, NY11 mi
- Apalachin, NY12 mi
- Sayre, PA13 mi
- Towanda, PA13 mi
- Wyalusing, PA14 mi
- Owego, NY14 mi
- Waverly, NY14 mi
- Vestal, NY18 mi
- Endicott, NY18 mi
- Laceyville, PA20 mi
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