NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Summit Hill, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Summit Hill, Pennsylvania since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 51 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 51
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Summit Hill
The strongest storm to pass near Summit Hill was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Summit Hill begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 71 miles away. Of the 16 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site, 45% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Summit Hill. The highest rating among the 51 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 24 miles. Of the 51, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 4, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Summit Hill. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1975, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Summit Hill.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Summit Hill
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | overhead | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Summit Hill: 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 Summit Hill
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s9
- 2000s1
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s3
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 24 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F3 | 16 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F2 | 20 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 15, 1992 | F2 | 8 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1968 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1950 | F2 | 19 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 27, 2024 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 51, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Summit Hill
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Summit Hill since 1975, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Summit Hill
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mahanoy City 2 N, PA, 14 miles west of Summit Hill at 1,710 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 18°F. July and September are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 53.7 inches over 96 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (29.2 of 53.7 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal August there has highs of 78°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.7 inches is more than at 145 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (98%). Lehighton, 8 miles east, has its own station (Allentown International Airport, PA): 47.4 inches a year, 6.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 18 | 3.9 | 8 | 12.3 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 3.0 | 7 | 12.7 |
| Mar | 44 | 25 | 4.2 | 8 | 9.2 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 4.4 | 9 | 2.1 |
| May | 67 | 47 | 4.7 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 61 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 41 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 4.3 | 8 | 9.0 |
| Year | 57 | 39 | 53.7 | 96 | 48.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mahanoy City 2 N, PA (1,710 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 Summit Hill
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Summit Hill: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 7 heavy rain events, 4 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 7, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 224 have had fewer than Summit Hill.
September 7, 2011: flood 4 miles from the centre of Summit Hill — 1 injured, $4.0 million 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
Carbon County, which includes Summit Hill, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carbon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.6 million a year, the 43rd highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.2 million (57%), 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 Summit Hill
- Lansford, PAunder 1 mi
- Coaldale, PA2 mi
- Nesquehoning, PA2 mi
- Tamaqua, PA6 mi
- Mcadoo, PA8 mi
- Lehighton, PA8 mi
- Weatherly, PA8 mi
- New Ringgold, PA10 mi
- Barnesville, PA10 mi
- Jim Thorpe, PA11 mi
- Hazleton, PA11 mi
- Germansville, PA12 mi
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