Lightning TrackerPhiladelphia storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history
Live watches and warnings for Philadelphia, PA, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.
Live alerts for Philadelphia, PA
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Storm outlook, next 48 hours
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Severe weather in Philadelphia by the numbers
Philadelphia sits in one of the most active severe-weather areas in the country: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 1,833 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 214 hail reports, 1,598 damaging-wind reports and 21 tornado reports. On average that is 17.5 days a year with at least one report.
Storm season here peaks in June, July, August, when 69% of all reports were filed.
In the last 12 months there were 4 hail reports, 92 wind reports and 0 tornado reports around Philadelphia; the largest hail was 1.50″ (walnut / ping pong ball) on Jun 22, 2026.
Latest storm reports near Philadelphia
| Date | Report | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Damaging wind | 11 mi S · Gloucester Co. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 20 mi SE · Gloucester Co. |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Damaging wind | 14 mi S · Gloucester Co. |
| Aug 20, 2026 | Damaging wind | 5 mi NW · Montgomery Co. |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Damaging wind | 22 mi SW · Salem Co. |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Damaging wind | 20 mi NE · Bucks Co. |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Damaging wind | 22 mi NW · Chester Co. |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 20 mi SE · Gloucester Co. |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Damaging wind | 21 mi SE · Gloucester Co. |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Damaging wind | 9 mi E · Burlington Co. |
One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.
Storm reports by year
Storm season in Philadelphia
All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.
Hail in Philadelphia
Philadelphia averages 4.6 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.50 inches — about the size of a tennis ball — reported 7 miles from the city centre on May 20, 2022. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.
Tornadoes near Philadelphia
There have been 21 tornado reports within 25 miles of Philadelphia since 2016; the strongest was rated EF3 (Sep 1, 2021, 20 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.
Storm alerts for Philadelphia on your iPhone
Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.
Storm trackers near Philadelphia
Questions about storms in Philadelphia
Does Philadelphia get a lot of severe storms?
Philadelphia averages 17.5 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.
When is storm season in Philadelphia?
Most severe-weather reports around Philadelphia come in June, July, August.
What is the biggest hail recorded near Philadelphia?
2.50 inches (tennis ball size) on May 20, 2022, 7 miles from the city centre.
Have tornadoes hit near Philadelphia?
Yes — 21 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF3 on Sep 1, 2021.
How do I get storm alerts for Philadelphia?
The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Philadelphia, PA. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.
How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Philadelphia, PA. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Sep 29, 2026.