NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wellsville, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Wellsville, Pennsylvania since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 23
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Wellsville
The strongest storm to pass near Wellsville was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 87 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 15 miles. The record near Wellsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 73 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 25 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Wellsville has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities on this site. The highest rating among the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 14, 2004, came within 25 miles. Of the 76, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2024. Wellsville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wellsville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wellsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 3 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 15 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 23 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wellsville: 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 Wellsville
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s5
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2004 | F3 | 25 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F3 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F3 | 13 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 4 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 1992 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1991 | F2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 8, 1990 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1989 | F2 | 16 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 31, 1985 | F2 | 8 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 2 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 18 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wellsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Wellsville since 1955, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 9, 1980. The most recent report is from August 3, 2024. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wellsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is York Airport, PA, 10 miles south of Wellsville at 486 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. September is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (22.8 of 42.3 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 125 nights a year. That 42.3 inches is more than at 42 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (28%). Dillsburg, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Carlisle Wtp, PA): 48.2 inches a year, 5.9 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 42 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 3.4 | 7 |
| May | 73 | 50 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 42.3 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at York Airport, PA (486 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 Wellsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wellsville: 124 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 12 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $5.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 6, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 19. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 321 have had fewer than Wellsville.
June 19, 2007: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Wellsville — 1 killed, 1 injured.
September 7, 2011: flood 6 miles from the centre of Wellsville — 1 killed, $4.7 million damage.
June 4, 2011: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Wellsville — 1 injured, $5,000 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
York County, which includes Wellsville, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives York County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $106.0 million a year, the 10th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.0 million (65%), 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 Wellsville
- Dillsburg, PA5 mi
- Dover, PA6 mi
- East Berlin, PA7 mi
- Lewisberry, PA7 mi
- Grantham, PA7 mi
- Thomasville, PA9 mi
- York Springs, PA9 mi
- York Haven, PA11 mi
- Etters, PA11 mi
- Abbottstown, PA11 mi
- Carlisle, PA11 mi
- Boiling Springs, PA11 mi
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