Altoona Metro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Altoona Area is about the same as Pennsylvania average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Altoona Area is lower than Pennsylvania average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #402
| Altoona Area | 0.07 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.17 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #129
| Altoona Area | 0.0000 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #704
| Altoona Area | 51.00 |
| Pennsylvania | 109.77 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 11,816 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Altoona Area were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 5 | Cold: | 59 | Dense Fog: | 34 | Drought: | 68 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,797 | Hail: | 1,865 | Heat: | 122 | Heavy Snow: | 183 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 47 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 227 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 6,677 | Tropical Storm: | 2 | Wildfire: | 8 | Winter Storm: | 125 | Winter Weather: | 100 |
| Other: | 497 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Altoona Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Altoona Area.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Altoona Area.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 14 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Altoona Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 16.9 | 1980-06-09 | 2 | 40°39'N / 78°39'W | 40°35'N / 78°32'W | 7.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cambria |
| 17.0 | 1996-07-19 | 2 | 40°43'N / 78°35'W | 40°39'N / 78°28'W | 8.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cambria |
| Brief Description: An F1 to weak F2 tornado touched down in Clearfield County near New Washington around 10:15 a.m. EST. The tornado moved southeast approximately 19 miles along a curved path crossing Five Points into Cambria County across Glendale Lake before ending 2 miles east of Frugality. This storm damaged several mobile homes and farms in Five Points, picked a boat out of the water on Glendale Lake and felled many trees along its path. A herringbone tree pattern was apparent along with suction vortex damage to crops. | |||||||||||
| 20.5 | 1996-07-19 | 2 | 40°33'N / 78°45'W | 40°30'N / 78°39'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cambria |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado touched down around 11:10 a.m. EST 2 miles east of Colver and tracked 6 miles southeast before ending 1 mile west of Loretto. The path width was 100 yards. Two homes and a barn were destroyed by this storm. Several roofs and a second barn were also damaged. A central suction vortex was visible in crop damage. | |||||||||||
| 27.0 | 1975-06-05 | 2 | 40°45'N / 77°55'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Centre | |||
| 28.4 | 1989-11-20 | 2 | 40°37'N / 77°49'W | 40°39'N / 77°47'W | 3.50 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Huntingdon |
| 29.7 | 1991-09-18 | 2 | 40°40'N / 77°49'W | 40°42'N / 77°47'W | 4.00 Miles | 330 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Huntingdon |
| 32.4 | 1956-05-13 | 2 | 40°15'N / 78°50'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Somerset | |||
| 39.5 | 1996-07-19 | 2 | 40°55'N / 78°55'W | 40°52'N / 78°48'W | 6.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 200K | 10K | Indiana |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down in Jefferson County and traveled southeast into northeast Indiana County, the tornado continued into the State Game Lands and exited Indiana County 4 miles north-north east of Glen Campbell and then entered Clearfield County. The tornado's path was 200 feet wide at its greatest width in Indiana County. Just some tree damage occurred in Jefferson County. The tornado strengthened and caused greater damage in Indiana County. Just east of Rossiter, the tornado tore the roof off of a barn. A child, playing outside, sought shelter in the barn. The roof lifted off and three of the four walls collapsed. The child was not injured. A horse that was inside the barn was sucked out and carried approximately 75 feet in the air into a field. The tornado traveled then traveled up a hill and significantly damaged one mobile home and destroyed a second. The second mobile home was carried at least 75 yards across a road and smashed against a row of trees. Three people were inside the mobile home and were injured, one critically. The tornado at this time was at it's strongest, at the upper end of F2. A nearby wood frame house was destroyed and dense areas of trees were felled or snapped. About a dozen homes sustained damage along the path, 5 were damaged extensively. Thirty pound cinder blocks from a garage were thrown approximately 300 yards up a nearby hill where a stronger suction vortex was noted. The tornado tracked into the State Game Lands and a 50 yard path of downed and twisted 100 to 150 foot trees was noted into the densely forested region. | |||||||||||
| 39.9 | 1952-07-23 | 2 | 40°37'N / 77°34'W | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Mifflin | |||
| 43.6 | 1989-06-20 | 2 | 40°22'N / 77°30'W | 2.00 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Perry | |
| 45.5 | 1953-05-30 | 2 | 40°24'N / 79°12'W | 40°24'N / 79°08'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Indiana |
| 46.7 | 2002-04-28 | 2 | 40°34'N / 79°14'W | 40°37'N / 79°09'W | 5.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 1 | 750K | 0 | Indiana |
| Brief Description: A storm spawning two separate tornadoes passed over southern Armstrong County, continuing eastward into Indiana County. The first tornado, an F0, touched down at approximately 2:45 PM EST just south of the town of Spring Church in Armstrong County. It traveled east about 3 miles before crossing into Indiana County approximately 1 mile east of Maysville at 2:52 PM EST. This tornado continued traveling to the east for another mile, finally dissipating near the community of Iselin at around 2:55 PM EST. The maximum estimated winds with this tornado were about 70 MPH. Damage from this first tornado included numerous trees which were toppled or snapped. A small steeple was toppled, and a swimming pool was destroyed. There were several trees toppled onto houses, and some houses suffered minor wind damage. A garage was damaged, and a house under construction was lifted off the foundation. The same storm produced another stronger tornado, an F2, which touched down in Indiana County approximately 6 miles southwest of the city of Indiana at 3:00 PM EST. This F2 traveled to the east across Center Township for approximately 5 miles, dissipating just south of Indiana at 3:06 PM EST. The estimated maximum winds were around 135 MPH. This F2 tornado produced a swath of damage as it traveled eastward across Indiana County. One house was totally destroyed, and debris from this house was blown downwind. In this same area, a car was turned over and trees were stripped of leaves. An adjacent house exhibited damage from hail or flying projectiles on several sides. The house immediately to the north of the destroyed house lost part of its east-facing roof. There were at least an additional 18 houses damaged (roofs, shingles, siding, etc.). Several garages and barns were either toppled or snapped. A large sign from a hotel was blown down onto a car sales lot. Two cars were crushed and 18 other vehicles were damaged. One moderate injury was reported with this tornado. | |||||||||||
| 48.0 | 1985-05-31 | 4 | 41°11'N / 78°40'W | 41°12'N / 78°04'W | 30.00 Miles | 3330 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Clearfield |
| 48.3 | 1951-05-11 | 2 | 40°07'N / 79°07'W | 40°03'N / 78°59'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Somerset |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.