NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Salisbury, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Salisbury, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Salisbury
The strongest storm to pass near Salisbury was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Salisbury begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 46 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 14 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Salisbury. The strongest of the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1998, killed 1 person. Of the 25, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on August 31, 2024. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Salisbury. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 8 times since 1998, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Salisbury.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Salisbury
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 59 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Salisbury: 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 Salisbury
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s8(2 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 7 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | in town | 13 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 2 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1969 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 1951 | F2 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 14 mi | 3.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Salisbury
The Storm Prediction Center has 8 hail reports within 10 miles of Salisbury since 1998. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 31, 1999. The most recent report is from June 16, 2008.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Salisbury
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Meyersdale 2 SSW, PA, 4 miles northeast of Salisbury at 2,000 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February and November the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (21.4 of 41.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 14 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 156 nights a year. Snowfall averages 45.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 32 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (22%). Frostburg, MD, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Frostburg 2, MD): 45.3 inches a year, 3.5 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 17 | 3.0 | 8 | 12.9 |
| Feb | 38 | 17 | 2.7 | 7 | 11.4 |
| Mar | 46 | 24 | 3.7 | 8 | 9.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 33 | 3.5 | 9 | 1.1 |
| May | 68 | 43 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 52 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 56 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 54 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 48 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 37 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 49 | 28 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Dec | 39 | 21 | 3.1 | 7 | 6.9 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 41.8 | 92 | 45.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Meyersdale 2 SSW, PA (2,000 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 Salisbury
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Salisbury: 37 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 10 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $755,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on April 8, 2020. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 16. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 283 have had fewer than Salisbury.
July 24, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Salisbury — 1 killed, 1 injured.
May 13, 2025: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Salisbury — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
April 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Salisbury — $500,000 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
Somerset County, which includes Salisbury, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Somerset County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.9 million a year, the 42nd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.0 million (82%), 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 Salisbury
- Meyersdale, PA6 mi
- Grantsville, MD6 mi
- Frostburg, MD10 mi
- Accident, MD14 mi
- Confluence, PA15 mi
- Rockwood, PA15 mi
- Berlin, PA15 mi
- Hyndman, PA17 mi
- Westernport, MD18 mi
- Cumberland, MD18 mi
- Friendsville, MD18 mi
- Swanton, MD19 mi
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