NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint Marys, 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 Saint Marys, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Saint Marys
The strongest storm to pass near Saint Marys was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Saint Marys begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 73 miles away. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Saint Marys. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 20 miles. Of the 24, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saint Marys. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 10 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saint Marys.
Compare Saint Marys's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint Marys
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 45 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 20 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 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 33 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 Saint Marys: 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 Marys
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s6
- 1990s5
- 1980s4(3 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 20 mi | 29 mi | 7 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 8 mi | 29 mi | 4 / 40 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 18 mi | 69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1963 | F3 | 2 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 17 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2021 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2018 | EF1 | 15 mi | 2.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2009 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2009 | EF1 | 3 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2005 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saint Marys
The Storm Prediction Center has 10 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint Marys since 1974, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 2, 2012, the most recent report. June has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saint Marys
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Glen Hazel 2 NE Dam, PA, 9 miles north of Saint Marys at 1,720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.7 inches over 99 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.2 of 46.7 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 163 nights a year. Snowfall averages 66.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.7 inches is more than at 96 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (65%). Kersey, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Ridgway, PA): 45.6 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 3.5 | 9 | 17.8 |
| Feb | 33 | 14 | 2.7 | 7 | 15.4 |
| Mar | 43 | 21 | 3.4 | 8 | 10.3 |
| Apr | 56 | 31 | 4.0 | 9 | 2.0 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 4.3 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 75 | 51 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 55 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 54 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 48 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 37 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 3.8 | 8 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 35 | 20 | 3.6 | 9 | 14.2 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 46.7 | 99 | 66.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Glen Hazel 2 NE Dam, PA (1,720 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 Saint Marys
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint Marys: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 16, 2022.
April 3, 2005: flood 3 miles from the centre of Saint Marys — $1.0 million damage.
May 18, 2008: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Saint Marys — $250,000 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 Saint Marys's ZIP code 15857 have filed 35 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $435,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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, 208 have fewer than Saint Marys.
Elk County, which includes Saint Marys, 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 Saint Marys
- Kersey, PA8 mi
- Johnsonburg, PA8 mi
- Ridgway, PA11 mi
- Emporium, PA16 mi
- Kane, PA19 mi
- Brockway, PA19 mi
- Du Bois, PA24 mi
- Smethport, PA26 mi
- Lewis Run, PA28 mi
- Clearfield, PA29 mi
- Port Allegany, PA29 mi
- Reynoldsville, PA30 mi
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