NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sugar Grove, 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 Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 42 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 42
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Sugar Grove
The strongest storm to pass near Sugar Grove was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Sugar Grove begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 40 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Sugar Grove. The strongest of the 42 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 2, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 42, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2023. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sugar Grove. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1988, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sugar Grove.
Compare Sugar Grove's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sugar Grove
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 74 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 22 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 Sugar Grove: 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 Sugar Grove
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s11
- 2000s4
- 1990s3
- 1980s9(5 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 7 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 21 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 6 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 7 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 11 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 7.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 17, 1969 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 42, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sugar Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Sugar Grove since 1988, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 20, 2023. The most recent report is from June 9, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sugar Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chandlers Valley 1SE, PA, 4 miles southeast of Sugar Grove at 1,490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 48.9 inches over 112 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 173 nights a year. Snowfall averages 115.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.9 inches is more than at 125 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (84%). Lakewood, NY, 8 miles north, has its own station (Jamestown 4 ENE, NY): 46.0 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 3.7 | 10 | 31.4 |
| Feb | 34 | 12 | 2.5 | 9 | 26.5 |
| Mar | 43 | 20 | 3.4 | 9 | 12.7 |
| Apr | 57 | 30 | 4.2 | 10 | 6.7 |
| May | 68 | 40 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 49 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 53 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 52 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 46 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 4.3 | 11 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 47 | 28 | 4.0 | 10 | 9.7 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 4.0 | 11 | 28.0 |
| Year | 57 | 33 | 48.9 | 112 | 115.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chandlers Valley 1SE, PA (1,490 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 Sugar Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 154 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sugar Grove: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 6, 2010. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 16. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 283 have had fewer than Sugar Grove.
May 21, 2014: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Sugar Grove — $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
Warren County, which includes Sugar Grove, 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, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Warren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.1 million a year, the 40th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.6 million (89%), 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.