NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spartansburg, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Spartansburg, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 50 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 50
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
27 deaths in all
What the records show for Spartansburg
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Spartansburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Spartansburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 58 miles away. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Spartansburg. The highest rating among the 50 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 25 miles. Of the 50, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Spartansburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Spartansburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spartansburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Spartansburg: 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 Spartansburg
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s10
- 2000s4
- 1990s6
- 1980s15(7 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 25 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 18 mi | 29 mi | 7 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 12 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 4 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 14 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 4 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 8 mi | 29.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 15 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1997 | F2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 50, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Spartansburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Spartansburg since 1976, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 31, 1985. The most recent report is from June 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Spartansburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Titusville Wtr Wks, PA, 12 miles south of Spartansburg at 1,220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.4 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 161 nights a year. Snowfall averages 89.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.4 inches is more than at 92 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (62%). Corry, 8 miles north, has its own station (Chandlers Valley 1SE, PA): 48.9 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 3.5 | 9 | 24.3 |
| Feb | 35 | 14 | 2.7 | 8 | 18.5 |
| Mar | 44 | 22 | 3.5 | 9 | 12.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 33 | 4.2 | 10 | 2.8 |
| May | 69 | 43 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 53 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 55 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 49 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 3.6 | 8 | 8.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 21 | 3.7 | 9 | 22.0 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 46.4 | 102 | 89.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Titusville Wtr Wks, PA (1,220 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 Spartansburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Spartansburg: 54 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $493,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 20, 2023.
May 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Spartansburg — $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
Crawford County, which includes Spartansburg, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Crawford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; 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 $26.8 million a year, the 34th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.4 million (84%), 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 Spartansburg
- Centerville, PA8 mi
- Corry, PA8 mi
- Union City, PA10 mi
- Titusville, PA13 mi
- Wattsburg, PA17 mi
- Cambridge Springs, PA18 mi
- Waterford, PA18 mi
- Clymer, NY18 mi
- Panama, NY19 mi
- Guys Mills, PA19 mi
- Youngsville, PA19 mi
- Sugar Grove, PA22 mi
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