NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tionesta, 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 Tionesta, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 47 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 47
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Tionesta
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tionesta; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Tionesta begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 53 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 Tionesta. The highest rating among the 47 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 6 miles. Of the 47, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tionesta. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 13 times since 1991, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tionesta.
Compare Tionesta's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tionesta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 20 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 Tionesta: 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 Tionesta
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s15
- 2000s7
- 1990s3
- 1980s12(6 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 6 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 2 mi | 29 mi | 7 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 21 mi | 29 mi | 4 / 40 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 25 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 12 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 28.7 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 23 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1981 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 47, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tionesta
The Storm Prediction Center has 13 hail reports within 10 miles of Tionesta since 1991, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 26, 2002. The most recent report is from June 29, 2012. May has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tionesta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tionesta 2 SE Lake, PA, 3 miles west of Tionesta at 1,200 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 100 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 50.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.0 inches is more than at 101 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (68%). Oil City, 16 miles west, has its own station (Franklin, PA): 46.5 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 3.3 | 9 | 14.5 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.6 | 7 | 10.4 |
| Mar | 47 | 26 | 3.5 | 8 | 7.8 |
| Apr | 61 | 36 | 4.1 | 10 | 1.0 |
| May | 72 | 47 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.5 | 8 | 3.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 25 | 3.7 | 8 | 13.3 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 47.0 | 100 | 50.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tionesta 2 SE Lake, PA (1,200 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 Tionesta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tionesta: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods and 4 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $541,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 26, 2012.
July 21, 2003: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Tionesta — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees down, along Routes 62 and 36, just northwest of Tionesta. One man injured by falling tree.”
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
Forest County, which includes Tionesta, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 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 Forest County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.0 million a year, the 64th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 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 Tionesta
- Marienville, PA13 mi
- Oil City, PA16 mi
- Shippenville, PA17 mi
- Seneca, PA17 mi
- Titusville, PA18 mi
- Knox, PA20 mi
- Clarion, PA20 mi
- Franklin, PA24 mi
- Youngsville, PA26 mi
- Emlenton, PA26 mi
- Centerville, PA26 mi
- Spartansburg, PA26 mi
All Pennsylvania cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Tionesta with another place →