NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sewickley, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sewickley, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Sewickley
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sewickley; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Sewickley begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 20 miles away. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 92% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sewickley. The strongest of the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 9 people. Of the 74, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2025. Sewickley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 205 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Sewickley has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
Compare Sewickley's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sewickley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sewickley: 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 Sewickley
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s9
- 2000s5
- 1990s9
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 23 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 140 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 15 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 3, 1963 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 70 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF2 | 21 mi | 15.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F2 | 24 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 20, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 1 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1956 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1954 | F2 | 14 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sewickley
The Storm Prediction Center has 205 hail reports within 10 miles of Sewickley since 1962, made on 95 separate days. Of these, 109 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 25, 2024. The most recent report is from April 19, 2025. April has the most reports, 52.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sewickley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr, PA, 5 miles southeast of Sewickley at 717 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 107 nights a year. That 38.3 inches is more than at 7 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (5%). Crescent, 4 miles west, has its own station (Pittsburgh International Airport, PA): 39.6 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 42 | 22 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 64 | 39 | 3.2 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 78 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 38.3 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Emsworth L/D Ohio Rvr, PA (717 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 Sewickley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 563 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sewickley: 406 thunderstorm wind reports, 112 flash floods, 30 floods, 14 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $22.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on October 14, 2003. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 685 have had fewer than Sewickley.
April 29, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sewickley — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
October 14, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Sewickley — 6 injured, $1.0 million damage.
April 16, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sewickley — 1 injured, $4,000 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 Sewickley's ZIP code 15143 have filed 114 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $867,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 36 claims (32% of all) and $307,000, then Flooding in 1996 with 34. 61% 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, 395 have fewer than Sewickley.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 36 | $307,000 |
| Flooding1996 | 34 | $271,000 |
Allegheny County, which includes Sewickley, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Allegheny County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding; Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $354.2 million a year, the 2nd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $295.0 million (83%), 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.