NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Union 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Union City, Pennsylvania since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Union City
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Union City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Union City begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 58 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 Union City. The highest rating among the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 23 miles. Of the 55, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Union City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Union City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Union City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 47 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 Union 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 Union City
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s11
- 2000s5
- 1990s5
- 1980s15(6 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 23 mi | 14 mi | 12 / 82 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 5 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 9 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 22 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 11 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 2 mi | 29.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 15 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | EF2 | 14 mi | 1.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1997 | F2 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 1986 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Union City
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Union City since 1985, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 31, 1985. The most recent report is from June 26, 2024. May and June have the most reports, 16 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Union City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Titusville Wtr Wks, PA, 19 miles southeast of Union City at 1,220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.4 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 161 nights a year. Snowfall averages 89.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.4 inches is more than at 92 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (62%). Waterford, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Erie International Airport, PA): 43.1 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 3.5 | 9 | 24.3 |
| Feb | 35 | 14 | 2.7 | 8 | 18.5 |
| Mar | 44 | 22 | 3.5 | 9 | 12.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 33 | 4.2 | 10 | 2.8 |
| May | 69 | 43 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 53 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 55 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 49 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 3.6 | 8 | 8.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 21 | 3.7 | 9 | 22.0 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 46.4 | 102 | 89.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Titusville Wtr Wks, PA (1,220 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 Union City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 72 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Union City: 65 thunderstorm wind reports and 7 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 74 mph, on June 24, 2000. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Union City.
May 21, 2022: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Union City — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Widespread flash flood in Union City. Several homes evacuated in the area of North Main and Waterford Streets and South Main and Parade Streets in Union City.”
August 10, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Union City — $120,000 damage.
May 28, 2013: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Union City — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Union City resides between two branches of the French Creek. The West Branch of the French Creek is located to the north and west of town and has a reservoir just before the confluence with the southern branch.”
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 Union City's ZIP code 16438 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $44,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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 Union City.
Erie County, which includes Union City, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 30, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Erie County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.6 million a year, the 21st highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $38.2 million (80%), 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 Union City
- Waterford, PA9 mi
- Spartansburg, PA10 mi
- Corry, PA10 mi
- Centerville, PA11 mi
- Wattsburg, PA11 mi
- Cambridge Springs, PA11 mi
- Edinboro, PA16 mi
- Clymer, NY16 mi
- Mc Kean, PA17 mi
- Saegertown, PA18 mi
- Guys Mills, PA19 mi
- Titusville, PA19 mi
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