Every hurricane that's roared through the Lehigh Valley in the last 75 years

The Easton-Phillipsburg free bridge was wrecked by flooding and debris on the Delaware River, caused by a pair of hurricanes in 1955.

lehighvalleylive.com file photo

By Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com

By virtue of our location 70 to 80 miles from the nearest ocean, hurricanes are not a frequent threat for the Lehigh Valley.

But on those occasions when tropical storms do reach us, they can be calamitous. Cases in point: the days without power after Sandy, or the destructive flood of 1955.

On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to release its forecast for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1. But while they look ahead, we decided to look back at some of the major hurricanes and tropical storms that, while perhaps hitting other areas harder, still affected life here in the Lehigh Valley in the last 75 years.

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Hurricane Irene makes landfall in 2011.

NOAA

What is a hurricane?

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, a rotating low-pressure system, per the NOAA. For it to be considered a hurricane, the cyclone must have sustained winds of 74 mph or more. If the winds are between 39 and 74 mph, it is a tropical storm. Below 39 mph, and it’s a tropical depression.

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center tracks an average of 12 of these storms a year in the Atlantic.

Hurricane season is considered to be June 1 to Nov. 30, though tropical storms can still happen outside that time frame.

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A car is trapped in floodwaters from the Monocacy Creek in Bethlehem after Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Matt Smith | For lehighvalleylive.com

A note on storm names

Hurricanes and tropical storms started to get names in the early 1950s. Before then, they were referred to by the year and order in which they occurred.

Only the names of the most destructive storms are retired; others are reused.

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Mail carrier Tony Talamini walks past a house on West Union Boulevard in Bethlehem after a large tree fell down amid the rain and wind of Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Matt Smith | For lehighvalleylive.com

How this list was made

We examined the National Hurricane Center’s maps documenting the path of every hurricane and tropical storm each year back to 1851, looking for trajectories that hit or came near enough to reasonably impact the Lehigh Valley. We then searched for documentation on the storms’ impact, picking those that had significant local effects or were otherwise noteworthy. We ultimately limited the scope to the last 75 years due to difficulty finding local storm reports earlier than that.

Most of the listed events were remnants of hurricanes or tropical storms by the time they reached our area. The dates in the list cover the lifetime of any given storm.

If you remember a hurricane with local impacts that is not listed here, let us know in the comments.

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The roller coaster from Casino Pier sits in the ocean in Seaside Heights the day after Hurricane Sandy landed in 2012.

NJ Advance Media file photo

Superstorm Sandy

Date: Oct. 22-29, 2012

This massive storm made landfall in New Jersey and continued through Pennsylvania. It powered through inland with wind gusts topped 60 mph in the Lehigh Valley, with sustained winds near 40 mph. Power was out in our area for several days in some places, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. There were 147 total reported deaths, 72 in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Damages in the U.S. were estimated near $50 billion.

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The Monocacy Creek floods Bethlehem's Colonial Industrial Quarter after rains from Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Matt Smith | For lehighvalleylive.com

Hurricane Irene

Date: Aug. 21-28, 2011

This deadly storm moved up the coast as a hurricane, weakening to a tropical storm along the Jersey Shore. But it still managed to inflict an estimated $6.5 billion in damages, killing 40 people and causing major flooding. In the Lehigh Valley, the storm dumped about 5 inches of rain and winds gusted up to 53 mph. More than 425,000 PPL customers lost power.

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Tropical Storm Lee

Date: Sept. 1-8, 2011

A week after Hurricane Irene saturated the ground, the remnants of Lee brought more heavy rain, including 6 to 8 inches across much of the Lehigh Valley. The Hunterdon County borough of Stockton recorded New Jersey's highest rainfall total of the storm: 11.4 inches. Fifteen people died — seven in Pennsylvania — and damage was estimated at more than $2 billion.

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Hurricane Hanna created a tornado that touched down in Allentown, damaging homes and a school in 2008.

Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Hurricane Hanna

Date: Aug. 28-Sept. 7, 2008

Hanna was a tropical storm as its center moved north through South and Central Jersey, but spawned a tornado in Allentown when it made its closest approach to the Lehigh Valley the night of Sept. 6. In all, the storm caused more than 500 deaths in Haiti and $160 million in damage in the U.S. That figure includes $1.5 million from the Allentown tornado, which damaged 50 homes and Dieruff High School.

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Palmer Township public works employees cut back branches from a large tree limb that gave way to high winds from Hurricane Isabel.

lehighvalleylive.com file photo

Hurricane Isabel

Date: Sept. 6-19, 2003

Isabel made landfall in North Carolina and proceeded northwest through western Pennsylvania as a tropical storm, but its strong winds crossed the state. Gusts up to 48 mph were recorded in Allentown, and 60 mph in Forks Township. It was PPL's worst pre-Sandy disaster — more than 495,000 power outages were reported.

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Tropical Storm Allison

Date: June 5-17, 2001

Allison first moved through the Gulf States, then moved out to sea near the Jersey Shore. On its way it dumped about 10 inches of rain in areas about 30 miles south of the Lehigh Valley, and caused seven deaths in Pennsylvania.

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MORE: Every tornado in the Lehigh Valley since 1950

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Hurricane Floyd

Date: Sept. 7-17, 1999

The deadliest hurricane in the U.S. since 1972, Floyd skimmed the Jersey Shore as a tropical storm. A total 57 deaths were reported across eight states, including six deaths each reported in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Almost 13 inches of rain was reported in Hunterdon County. More than 280,000 PPL customers lost power.

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Tropical Storm Chris

Date: Aug. 21-30, 1988

This storm swept along Florida’s east coast and made landfall near the Georgia-South Carolina border, continuing north and cutting east, passing directly through the Lehigh Valley as a tropical depression. Three to five inches of rain fell from South Carolina through Pennsylvania and into Vermont, but fortunately wind damage was minor.

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New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, state police Col. Clinton Pagano and Attorney General Irwin Kimmelman track Hurricane Gloria on the map in the storm command center at the state police headquarters in West Trenton.

NJ Advance Media file photo

Hurricane Gloria

Date: Sept. 16-27, 1985

This storm was still classified as a hurricane as it skimmed the Jersey Shore and continued north into New England. Gloria caused about $340 million in damage across 13 states. Though our area had the weaker side of the hurricane, some parts of the Lehigh Valley saw seven or more inches of rain.

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Hurricane David

Date: Aug. 25-Sept. 6, 1979

“Historically, there have been few storms whose effects were so widespread,” says a storm report on David. More than 1,000 deaths were estimated in the Caribbean. This hurricane moved up Florida’s east coast and passed through central and eastern Pennsylvania as a tropical storm, to the west of the Lehigh Valley. Tornadoes were reported in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (though none locally), and wind and rain knocked out power for 2.5 million in the New York metro area.

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MORE: PPL's top 10 most disruptive storms

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Harrisburg is flooded after Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

PennLive.com file photo

Hurricane Agnes

Date: June 14-23, 1972

This hurricane was one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history at the time, with damages estimated at $2 billion. Agnes first made landfall on the Gulf Coast, then moved back out to sea from North Carolina and returned to North Jersey and the New York City area as a tropical storm, combining with another cyclone to drench areas from North Carolina to New York. The most rainfall from the event was 19 inches recorded in Schuylkill County. The Lehigh Valley was spared the brunt but still saw several inches of rain.

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A gas station in Millstone, New Jersey, is flooded out after Tropical Storm Doria in 1971.

NJ Advance Media file photo

Tropical Storm Doria

Date: Aug. 20-28, 1971

Doria's heavy rain caused extensive damage in a heavily populated corridor through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Neshaminy Falls in Bucks County, about 40 miles south of Easton, saw the most rain of the storm with 11.2 inches. Other parts of our area saw 3-7 inches. Philadelphia recorded wind gusts up to 73 mph.

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Hurricane Connie

Date: Aug. 3-15, 1955

This storm hooked west through central Pennsylvania before it could directly hit the Lehigh Valley, but it did soak our area with several inches of rain. It set the stage for the next hurricane to be far more destructive five days later.

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The Easton-Phillipsburg free bridge is severed days after hurricanes Connie and Diane caused massive flooding in 1955.

lehighvalleylive.com file photo

Hurricane Diane

Date: Aug. 7-20, 1955

Diane made landfall to the south, and as a tropical storm proceeded to wallop the Lehigh Valley. Another several inches of rain caused rivers to overflow their banks, causing the Flood of 1955. There were 70 deaths locally, many from a camp near East Stroudsburg, when the Brodhead Creek released what eyewitnesses described as a 40-foot wall of water. The free bridge between Easton and Phillipsburg was broken apart by the floodwaters, and the damage in Easton alone was estimated at $10 million.

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Waters from the Bushkill Creek threaten the carousel at Bushkill Park in 1955.

lehighvalleylive.com file photo

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Homeowners along the Bushkill Creek watch as the creek continues to rise after Hurricane Diane.

lehighvalleylive.com file photo

MORE PHOTOS: Hurricane Diane and the Flood of 1955

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Hurricane Hazel

Date: Oct. 5-15

Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane in 1954, causing massive destruction in Haiti before making landfall in North Carolina and heading north through central Pennsylvania. Gusts topping 80 mph were recorded in Allentown as the storm passed through. A lehighvalleylive.com reader said the wind was strong enough to remove doors of his parents' barn.

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Hurricane Able

Date: Aug. 18-Sept. 3, 1952

The first hurricane of the year, Able made landfall in South Carolina, then proceeded north and passed directly through the Lehigh Valley as a tropical storm. One death was reported in Pennsylvania.

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1945 Hurricane 9

Date: Sept. 12-18, 1949

This storm -- also known as the Homestead hurricane for destroying the city of Homestead, Florida -- caused severe damage in Florida as a major hurricane, but weakened significantly by the time it passed through the Lehigh Valley.

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Photo courtesy Ashli Truchon

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Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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