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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint Clair, 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

20 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Saint Clair, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 48 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
2

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
18

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
48

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
2

1 deaths in all

What the records show for Saint Clair

The strongest storm to pass near Saint Clair was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Saint Clair begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 70 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 20 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Saint Clair has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 48 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 18, 1970, killed 1 person. Of the 48, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on May 4, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saint Clair. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saint Clair.

Compare Saint Clair's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint Clair

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Saint Clair, Pennsylvania, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaSep 170 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
2020IsaiasAug 448 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1
2012SandyOct 3056 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 3
2006ErnestoSep 362 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1979DavidSep 636 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 5
1955DianeAug 1844 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1955ConnieAug 1364 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 4
1954HazelOct 1660 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 4
1952AbleSep 135 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2919 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1975 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1933Unnamed 1933 stormAug 2438 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 4
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 315 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 447 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1903Unnamed 1903 stormSep 1644 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 2
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 141 miTropical storm (56 mph)Category 2
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2932 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 222 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1463 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2311 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 2

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Saint Clair: 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 Saint Clair

By decade

  • 2020s9
  • 2010s6
  • 2000s2
  • 1990s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s4
  • 1970s7(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s4
  • 1950s4
Strongest tornadoes near Saint Clair, Pennsylvania
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 18, 1970F322 mi1.9 mi1 / 5
May 31, 1998F322 mi8.3 mi0 / 7
Jul 17, 1992F224 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jul 15, 1992F215 mi1.5 mi0 / 2
Jul 26, 1981F211 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Sep 10, 1968F221 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Sep 12, 1953F221 mi4.7 mi0 / 0
May 27, 2024EF17 mi1.53 mi0 / 0
Aug 12, 2023EF121 mi3.25 mi0 / 0
Apr 22, 2023EF124 mi1 mi0 / 0
Aug 18, 2021EF116 mi1.07 mi0 / 0
Jul 29, 2021EF121 mi2.9 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 48, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Saint Clair

The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint Clair since 1970. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 22, 1979. The most recent report is from June 8, 2015. June has the most reports, 7.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Saint Clair

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mahanoy City 2 N, PA, 8 miles north of Saint Clair at 1,710 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 18°F. July and September are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 53.7 inches over 96 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (29.2 of 53.7 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 20 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal August there has highs of 78°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.7 inches is more than at 145 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (98%). Schuylkill Haven, 7 miles south, has its own station (Hamburg, PA): 49.6 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 80°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Mahanoy City 2 N, PA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan33183.9812.3
Feb35183.0712.7
Mar44254.289.2
Apr57374.492.1
May67474.7100.0
Jun76565.190.0
Jul80615.280.0
Aug78584.780.0
Sep72525.270.0
Oct60414.980.5
Nov48314.172.2
Dec37234.389.0
Year573953.79648.0

Averages for 1991–2020 at Mahanoy City 2 N, PA (1,710 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.

Pennsylvania weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Saint Clair

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint Clair: 101 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $294,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 23, 2011. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 145 have had fewer than Saint Clair.

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 Saint Clair's ZIP code 17970 have filed 36 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $207,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2006, with 20. 6% 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, 213 have fewer than Saint Clair.

Schuylkill County, which includes Saint Clair, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Schuylkill County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.3 million (74%), 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 Saint Clair