NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sarver, 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 Sarver, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Sarver
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sarver; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Sarver begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 2 miles away. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sarver. The strongest of the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 9 people. Of the 62, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Sarver has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 74 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Sarver has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sarver
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sarver: 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 Sarver
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s7
- 2000s6
- 1990s8
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s13
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 4 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 140 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | in town | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 10.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | EF2 | 21 mi | 8.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 23, 1986 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 25 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1981 | F2 | 1 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F2 | 19 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1966 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sarver
The Storm Prediction Center has 74 hail reports within 10 miles of Sarver since 1970, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 28, 2020. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. March and April have the most reports, 16 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sarver
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ford City 4 S Dam, PA, 12 miles east of Sarver at 930 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.2 of 44.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. That 44.4 inches is more than at 73 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (49%). Saxonburg, 5 miles west, has its own station (Butler 2 SW, PA): 43.3 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 17 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Feb | 39 | 18 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 62 | 35 | 3.7 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 46 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 80 | 55 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 59 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Aug | 83 | 58 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 51 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Oct | 64 | 39 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Nov | 51 | 30 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 44.4 | 92 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ford City 4 S Dam, PA (930 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 Sarver
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 327 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sarver: 256 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 flash floods, 21 floods and 7 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 16, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 13 of 43. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 493 have had fewer than Sarver.
July 16, 2021: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Sarver — 1 injured.
May 11, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sarver — $100,000 damage.
February 28, 2011: flood 8 miles from the centre of Sarver — $100,000 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 Sarver's ZIP code 16055 have filed 71 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 15 claims (21% of all) and $656,000. 25% 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, 324 have fewer than Sarver.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 15 | $656,000 |
Butler County, which includes Sarver, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Butler County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.7 million a year, the 20th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.3 million (87%), 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 Sarver
- Freeport, PA4 mi
- Saxonburg, PA5 mi
- Cabot, PA6 mi
- Natrona Heights, PA6 mi
- Brackenridge, PA7 mi
- Tarentum, PA7 mi
- Leechburg, PA9 mi
- Worthington, PA10 mi
- New Kensington, PA10 mi
- Valencia, PA11 mi
- Cheswick, PA11 mi
- Vandergrift, PA11 mi
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