Pennsylvania, 1983

Tornadoes and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 2, 1983

May 2, 1983 · NWS AT · 16 events in 8 counties and zones

8 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$2.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

8 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Erie

When
May 2, 2:11 PM CST
Where
Erie County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.080, -80.180

Tornado, Erie

When
May 2, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Erie County
Rating
F2
Path length
1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
42.070, -80.030

Tornado, Crawford

When
May 2, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Crawford County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.630, -79.680

Hail, Erie

When
May 2, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Erie County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
42.000, -80.320

Hail, Erie

When
May 2, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Erie County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
42.030, -80.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Erie

When
May 2, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Erie County
Coordinates
41.980, -80.070

Hail, Butler

When
May 2, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.770, -79.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarion

When
May 2, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Clarion County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.200, -79.420

Hail, Beaver

When
May 2, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Beaver County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.670, -80.370

Hail, Butler

When
May 2, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.770, -79.770

Hail, Butler

When
May 2, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.850, -79.880

Thunderstorm Wind, McKean

When
May 2, 5:00 PM CST
Where
McKean County
Coordinates
41.820, -78.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarion

When
May 2, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Clarion County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.200, -79.420

Tornado, Tioga

When
May 2, 5:39 PM CST
Where
Tioga County
Rating
F2
Path length
9.8 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
41.930, -77.450

Hail, Erie

When
May 2, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Erie County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.030, -80.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradford

When
May 2, 7:17 PM CST
Where
Bradford County
Coordinates
41.980, -76.500

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1983Every state in 1983This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Pennsylvania, 1983

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10117002, 10117003, 10117004, 10117005, 10117006, 10117007, 10117008, 10117009, 10117010, 10117011, 10117012, 10117013, 10117014, 10117015, 10117016, 10117017.