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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wallingford, 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

38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Wallingford, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
2

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
36

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
92

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
5

7 deaths in all

What the records show for Wallingford

The strongest storm to pass near Wallingford was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1904, whose centre came within 55 miles. The record near Wallingford begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 2 miles away. The 1870s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 38 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Wallingford has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2021, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on July 27, 1994, killed 3 people. Of the 92, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2024. Wallingford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 94% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Wallingford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities.

Compare Wallingford's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wallingford

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Wallingford, Pennsylvania, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaSep 22 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
2021ElsaJul 967 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
2020IsaiasAug 413 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1
2020FayJul 1054 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2013AndreaJun 873 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2012SandyOct 3012 miTropical storm (71 mph)Category 3
2011IreneAug 2858 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 3
2008HannaSep 632 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
2006ErnestoSep 270 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1999FloydSep 1664 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 4
1996BerthaJul 1327 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1992DanielleSep 2634 miTropical storm (39 mph)Tropical storm
1971DoriaAug 2843 miTropical storm (64 mph)Tropical storm
1961Unnamed 1961 stormSep 1564 miTropical storm (60 mph)Tropical storm
1960BrendaJul 3047 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1955DianeAug 1926 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 2
1952AbleSep 137 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1944Unnamed 1944 stormAug 364 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 195 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 346 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 3045 miTropical storm (70 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1774 miTropical storm (53 mph)Tropical storm
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 425 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 1
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 1555 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 1
1903Unnamed 1903 stormSep 1626 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 2
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1675 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 127 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2939 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1144 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 2266 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 2457 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2355 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 2
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 547 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 2935 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 2632 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1866Unnamed 1866 stormOct 3062 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1863Unnamed 1863 stormSep 1929 miTropical storm (54 mph)Tropical storm
1861Unnamed 1861 stormSep 2845 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wallingford: 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 Wallingford

By decade

  • 2020s10(1 EF3+)
  • 2010s10
  • 2000s5
  • 1990s27(2 EF3+)
  • 1980s15
  • 1970s10
  • 1960s10(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s5(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Wallingford, Pennsylvania
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jul 27, 1994F325 mi2 mi3 / 25
Mar 22, 1955F312 mi9.6 mi1 / 0
Sep 1, 2021EF314 mi12.37 mi0 / 2
Jul 27, 1994F321 mi4 mi0 / 11
Apr 28, 1961F318 mi0.3 mi0 / 0
Sep 1, 2021EF217 mi8.28 mi1 / 2
Sep 5, 1979F221 mi4.1 mi1 / 4
Oct 31, 2019EF28 mi0.47 mi0 / 2
Sep 28, 2004F216 mi5 mi0 / 0
May 31, 1998F224 mi5.6 mi0 / 0
Sep 27, 1993F225 mi10 mi0 / 0
Jul 17, 1992F219 mi4 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Wallingford

The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Wallingford since 1957, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 22, 2014. The most recent report is from May 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 26.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Wallingford

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marcus Hook, PA, 5 miles southwest of Wallingford at 10 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (22.5 of 41.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. That 41.8 inches is more than at 32 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (22%). Swarthmore, 1 mile northeast, has its own station (Philadelphia International Airport, PA): 44.2 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Marcus Hook, PA, 6 miles south, averaged 82°F in July and 39°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Philadelphia tide gauge, 13 miles from Wallingford, has risen 1.24 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1900 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 12.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 73 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Marcus Hook, PA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Water °F
Jan43273.2539
Feb46282.2439
Mar53353.9646
Apr66453.5655
May75553.2664
Jun84653.3674
Jul89704.8682
Aug87693.7581
Sep80614.4675
Oct68503.7566
Nov57402.6655
Dec48323.3643
Year664841.86660

Averages for 1991–2020 at Marcus Hook, PA (10 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Marcus Hook, PA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Pennsylvania weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Wallingford

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 645 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wallingford: 407 thunderstorm wind reports, 162 flash floods, 48 floods, 21 lightning strikes and 7 heavy rain events. They killed 6 people and injured 34, and the NWS estimated $61.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on April 4, 2025. August has had the most flash floods, 55 of 162. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 719 have had fewer than Wallingford.

  • October 14, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wallingford — 1 killed, 1 injured.

  • July 28, 2013: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Wallingford — 1 killed, 1 injured.

  • November 15, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wallingford — 1 killed.

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 Wallingford's ZIP code 19086 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $282,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 48% 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, 186 have fewer than Wallingford.

Delaware County, which includes Wallingford, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Delaware County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and coastal flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $134.9 million a year, the 7th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $73.9 million (55%), 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 Wallingford