NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thompsontown, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Thompsontown
The strongest storm to pass near Thompsontown was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Thompsontown begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 37 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 18 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Thompsontown has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on April 19, 2019, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on December 1, 2006, killed 1 person. Of the 41, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2023. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thompsontown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1983, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Thompsontown.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thompsontown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 5 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 54 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Thompsontown: 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 Thompsontown
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s12
- 2000s7
- 1990s7
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2011 | EF2 | 6 mi | 4.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 9, 1980 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 21, 1967 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1955 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 1952 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2021 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | EF1 | 19 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Thompsontown
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Thompsontown since 1983, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 16, 2022. The most recent report is from June 16, 2022. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thompsontown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lewistown, PA, 18 miles west of Thompsontown at 460 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. September is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (22.5 of 42.3 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal October there has highs of 65°F and 3.8 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 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 26.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.3 inches is more than at 41 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (28%). Millerstown, 5 miles east, has its own station (Selinsgrove 2 S, PA): 43.3 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 2.9 | 6 | 9.1 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.3 | 6 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.6 | 7 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 3.3 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 42.3 | 83 | 26.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lewistown, PA (460 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 Thompsontown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thompsontown: 133 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $468,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 16, 2022.
July 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Thompsontown — 1 injured, $10,000 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 Thompsontown's ZIP code 17094 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $57,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 36% 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, 14 have fewer than Thompsontown.
Juniata County, which includes Thompsontown, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 4 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Juniata County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.8 million a year, the 60th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.6 million (75%), 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 Thompsontown
- Millerstown, PA5 mi
- Mc Alisterville, PA5 mi
- Mifflintown, PA7 mi
- Newport, PA8 mi
- Port Royal, PA11 mi
- Mc Clure, PA11 mi
- New Bloomfield, PA12 mi
- Liverpool, PA13 mi
- Beavertown, PA14 mi
- Mt Pleasant Mills, PA15 mi
- Millersburg, PA16 mi
- Duncannon, PA16 mi
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