NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Grove, 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
33 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Grove, 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, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for West Grove
The strongest storm to pass near West Grove was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 87 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near West Grove begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 6 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 33 systems, 5 have come since 2000. West Grove 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, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 27, 1994, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 9, 1993, killed 1 person. Of the 92, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 19 each. The most recent tornado was on September 4, 2025. West Grove has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 94% of the 794 Pennsylvania cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1985, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 794 Pennsylvania cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Grove.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Grove
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 67 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 36 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in West Grove: 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 West Grove
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12
- 2000s8
- 1990s25(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s14
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 1955 | F3 | 16 mi | 9.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 5 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Apr 28, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 3 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 5 mi | 5.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 17 mi | 35.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2019 | EF2 | 18 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF2 | 16 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 2004 | F2 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 2002 | F2 | 10 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 13 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of West Grove since 1985, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently July 25, 2010. The most recent report is from May 3, 2025. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Avondale 2 N, PA, 4 miles northeast of West Grove at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.1 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (24.6 of 47.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 33 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 47.1 inches is more than at 103 of the 148 Pennsylvania stations used on this site (70%). Oxford, 8 miles west, has its own station (Octoraro Lake, PA): 48.5 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, 20 miles south, averaged 84°F in July and 38°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Chesapeake City tide gauge, 20 miles from West Grove, has risen 1.76 ± 0.12 inches per decade from 1972 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 111 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 23 | 3.6 | 6 | 38 |
| Feb | 41 | 24 | 3.1 | 6 | 39 |
| Mar | 50 | 31 | 4.4 | 7 | 46 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.8 | 7 | 57 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 3.6 | 8 | 67 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 76 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.2 | 8 | 84 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 | 82 |
| Sep | 75 | 55 | 4.5 | 5 | 76 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 4.0 | 6 | 65 |
| Nov | 53 | 34 | 3.2 | 6 | 53 |
| Dec | 43 | 28 | 4.0 | 8 | 42 |
| Year | 62 | 43 | 47.1 | 80 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Avondale 2 N, PA (400 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, 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.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near West Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 293 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Grove: 217 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 flash floods, 18 lightning strikes, 7 floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 7, 2023. August has had the most flash floods, 22 of 46. Of the 788 Pennsylvania cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 512 have had fewer than West Grove.
August 27, 2011: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of West Grove — 2 killed.
April 15, 2023: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of West Grove — 1 killed, 1 injured.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of West Grove — 2 injured, $500,000 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
Chester County, which includes West Grove, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 10, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chester 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, tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $172.6 million a year, the 5th highest of 67 Pennsylvania counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $105.8 million (61%), 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 West Grove
- Avondale, PA4 mi
- Lincoln University, PA4 mi
- Landenberg, PA5 mi
- Cochranville, PA5 mi
- Kennett Square, PA7 mi
- Oxford, PA8 mi
- Hockessin, DE9 mi
- Parkesburg, PA11 mi
- Coatesville, PA11 mi
- Atglen, PA11 mi
- Christiana, PA12 mi
- Kirkwood, PA12 mi
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