NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ruffs Dale, 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 Ruffs Dale, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 69 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 69
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Ruffs Dale
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ruffs Dale; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Ruffs Dale begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 30 miles away. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ruffs Dale. The strongest of the 69 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on August 3, 1963, killed 2 people. Of the 69, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Ruffs Dale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 97 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Ruffs Dale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ruffs Dale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ruffs Dale: 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 Ruffs Dale
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s13
- 2000s2
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 24 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 11.8 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 13 mi | 1.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 7 mi | 8.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1997 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 1, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 12 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 12, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 69, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ruffs Dale
The Storm Prediction Center has 97 hail reports within 10 miles of Ruffs Dale since 1973, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 20, 1983. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. July has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ruffs Dale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Pleasant, PA, 8 miles east of Ruffs Dale at 1,003 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 44.0 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.0 inches is more than at 66 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (45%). Smithton, 5 miles west, has its own station (Donora 1 SW, PA): 40.8 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 3.3 | 8 | 9.0 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 2.2 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 50 | 28 | 3.4 | 8 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 36 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 71 | 47 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 40 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 52 | 31 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.8 | 8 | 6.4 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 44.0 | 92 | 29.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Pleasant, PA (1,003 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 Ruffs Dale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 347 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ruffs Dale: 259 thunderstorm wind reports, 56 flash floods, 27 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 5 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 16, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 21 of 56. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 550 have had fewer than Ruffs Dale.
June 13, 2019: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Ruffs Dale — 2 killed.
June 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ruffs Dale — 1 killed, $150,000 damage.
August 23, 2014: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Ruffs Dale — 1 killed, $20,000 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 Ruffs Dale's ZIP code 15679 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $154,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 8% 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, 31 have fewer than Ruffs Dale.
Westmoreland County, which includes Ruffs Dale, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Westmoreland County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $76.3 million a year, the 14th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $65.9 million (86%), 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 Ruffs Dale
- Hunker, PA3 mi
- New Stanton, PA4 mi
- Smithton, PA5 mi
- Youngwood, PA5 mi
- Scottdale, PA5 mi
- Mt Pleasant, PA6 mi
- West Newton, PA7 mi
- Perryopolis, PA9 mi
- Greensburg, PA10 mi
- Jeannette, PA11 mi
- Connellsville, PA11 mi
- Belle Vernon, PA11 mi
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