NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tower City, 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
21 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Tower City, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 60 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 60
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Tower City
The strongest storm to pass near Tower City was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Tower City begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 68 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 21 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Tower City has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 60 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 14, 2004, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on December 1, 2006, killed 1 person. Of the 60, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 2023. Tower City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 26 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tower City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tower City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 40 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 9 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 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 23 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tower City: 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 Tower City
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s14
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 1970 | F3 | 19 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jul 14, 2004 | F3 | 21 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 1992 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 11, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1970 | F2 | 25 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1967 | F2 | 18 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Nov 19, 1957 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1953 | F2 | 5 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1950 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 2006 | F1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 60, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tower City
The Storm Prediction Center has 26 hail reports within 10 miles of Tower City since 1974, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 28, 2019. The most recent report is from August 6, 2024. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tower City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dehart Dam, PA, 13 miles southwest of Tower City at 537 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 20°F. September is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (27.7 of 50.9 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 21 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal August there has highs of 82°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.9 inches is more than at 136 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (92%). Hegins, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Bear Gap, PA): 48.2 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 20 | 3.6 | 6 | 8.4 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.8 | 6 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 3.9 | 7 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 71 | 47 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 60 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 4.0 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 50.9 | 87 | 27.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dehart Dam, PA (537 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 Tower City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tower City: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 11 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $398,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 19, 2013. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 188 have had fewer than Tower City.
March 10, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Tower City — 1 killed.
August 12, 2009: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Tower City — $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
Schuylkill County, which includes Tower City, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Schuylkill County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.3 million (74%), 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 Tower City
- Williamstown, PA4 mi
- Hegins, PA6 mi
- Lykens, PA9 mi
- Tremont, PA9 mi
- Pine Grove, PA9 mi
- Jonestown, PA11 mi
- Fredericksburg, PA11 mi
- Grantville, PA13 mi
- Elizabethville, PA14 mi
- Shamokin, PA14 mi
- Coal Township, PA14 mi
- Kulpmont, PA15 mi
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