Hurricanes that hit Luzerne County, Pennsylvania: hurricane history

11 storms have passed within 50 km of Luzerne County from 1861 to 1994, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Luzerne County

The record holds 11 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania between 1861 and 1994. The busiest month is August, with 6 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 1 strength. 2 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 11storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 1at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Luzerne County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression19%
Tropical storm764%
Category 119%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity218%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Luzerne County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 3 in 1860s.1860s31870s11880s11890s11900s11930s11940s11970s11990s1

The 1990s only run to 1994, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1861, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1860s3
1870s1
1880s1
1890s1
1900s1
1930s1
1940s1
1970s1
1990s1

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 6 in Aug.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun0Jul0Aug6Sep4Oct1Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun0
Jul0
Aug6
Sep4
Oct1
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Luzerne County

  • Unnamed storm of October 1878 (North Atlantic)13 October 1878 to 25 October 1878, Category 1 (80 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 963 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1893 (North Atlantic)15 August 1893 to 2 September 1893, Tropical storm (55 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 954 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1903 (North Atlantic)12 September 1903 to 17 September 1903, Tropical storm (55 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (85 kt), 990 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1863 (North Atlantic)11 September 1863 to 20 September 1863, peak Tropical storm (60 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of August 1949 (North Atlantic)23 August 1949 to 1 September 1949, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 954 hPa

Most recent storms near Luzerne County

  • Beryl (1994)14 August 1994 to 19 August 1994, Tropical depression (15 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 1,000 hPa
  • David (1979)25 August 1979 to 8 September 1979, Tropical storm (40 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 924 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1949 (North Atlantic)23 August 1949 to 1 September 1949, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 954 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

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