Philadelphia's airport recorded a 50.1 mph gust on September 26, its first September gust that strong since 1996

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:41:38 -0400

Philadelphia International Airport recorded a gust of 50.1 mph on September 26, 2026. No other September day has reached 50 mph since the airport’s gust record began in January 1996. The reading is the day’s fastest 5-second wind speed in NOAA’s daily summaries, and this site calls that reading the day’s gust. It was the eighth day of 2026 with a gust of 50 mph or more. Over the same stretch of the year, January 1 through September 29, only 2011 had more, with 9, and 2019 also had 8. The September readings are preliminary.

2026 has had 8 days with a 50 mph gust through September 29

Days with a gust of 50 mph or more from January 1 through September 29 each year, Philadelphia International Airport, 1996 to 2026

Counted by Conshy Roofers from NOAA daily fastest 5-second wind speeds. The 2026 readings are preliminary. Source: ncei.noaa.gov

The September storm

The wind picked up on September 25 and stayed up for three days. The airport’s gusts reached 45.0 mph on the 25th, 50.1 mph on the 26th and 40.9 mph on the 27th. The average wind speed over the day was 18.34 mph on both the 25th and the 26th. Those two days tie for the fifth-highest daily average among the 929 September days in the record since 1996.

Before this year, the strongest September gust at the airport was 49.0 mph, reached in 1996 and again in 2003. From 1996 through 2025 the airport logged 112 days with a gust of 50 mph or more, and none of them fell in September. February and April had the most, 16 each, followed by January, March and December with 13 each. Those five months account for 71 of the 112 days.

Days with a gust of 50 mph or more at Philadelphia International Airport, by month. 2026 runs through September 29.
month	Days 1996 to 2025	Days in 2026
January	13	1
February	16	1
March	13	1
April	16	1
May	7	1
June	11	0
July	9	2
August	7	0
September	0	1
October	3
November	4
December	13

Source: ncei.noaa.gov

The strongest single gusts have come at a different time of year. Nine of the ten strongest since 1996 came between April and July. The top reading is 74.9 mph, on June 24, 2010, followed by 72.0 mph on June 23, 2015. The tenth falls on October 29, 2012, at 68.0 mph.

The year so far

The eight days of 2026 are spread across the calendar. January through May each had one, July had two and September had one. The strongest was 59.1 mph on March 16. July 4 and July 11 both reached 55.9 mph.

Days in 2026 with a gust of 50 mph or more at Philadelphia International Airport, through September 29. The 2-minute figure is the fastest wind sustained for two minutes that day.
Date	Fastest 5-second wind (mph)	Fastest 2-minute wind (mph)	Average wind (mph)
2026-01-23	50.1	40.9	14.54
2026-02-07	57.9	40.0	23.26
2026-03-16	59.1	42.9	15.88
2026-04-05	51.0	38.0	10.51
2026-05-20	53.0	40.9	9.17
2026-07-04	55.9	36.0	7.61
2026-07-11	55.9	38.9	6.04
2026-09-26	50.1	33.1	18.34

Source: ncei.noaa.gov

At a lower threshold, the airport had 29 days with a gust of 40 mph or more from January 1 through September 29. That ties 2025 for the most over those months since 1996. The full year 2025 ended with 47 days at 40 mph or more and 12 at 50 mph or more, both the most in the record.

The count has risen by decade. Days with a gust of 50 mph or more averaged 2.1 a year from 1996 through 2005, 3.8 from 2006 through 2015 and 5.3 from 2016 through 2025. Days at 40 mph or more averaged 17.7, 22.7 and 27.8 a year over the same decades.

What to check on a shingle roof

Conshohocken’s roof permit addendum says re-roofing work must conform to the 2021 International Residential or Building Code. The residential code, in section R905.2.4.1, requires asphalt shingles to be tested to ASTM D7158, a wind-resistance test standard, and to carry a class from Table R905.2.4.1 that matches the building’s ultimate design wind speed. That speed comes from a wind map in the code, Figure R301.2(2). Shingles outside that standard’s scope are tested to a second standard, ASTM D3161, and the packaging has to be labeled with the class either way.

Shingle wind classes accepted by Table R905.2.4.1 of the 2021 International Residential Code, by ultimate design wind speed.
Ultimate design wind speed (mph)	ASTM D7158 classes accepted	ASTM D3161 classes accepted
110	D or G or H	A or D or F
116	D or G or H	A or D or F
129	G or H	A or D or F
142	G or H	F
155	G or H	F
168	H	F
181	H	F
194	H	F

Source: codes.iccsafe.org

The table accepts any of the D7158 classes D, G or H at the two lowest design speeds, 110 and 116 mph, and only Class H from 168 mph up. Among the D3161 classes, Class F is the only one accepted from 142 mph up. GAF’s technical bulletin on wind resistance says to check the label on the shingles for the class of the product being installed, because compliance is specific to the plant that made them.

For a replacement quote, ask the roofer which D7158 or D3161 class is printed on the wrapper of the shingle the quote names. The borough’s addendum already asks for the type of new roof and the manufacturer’s name. The borough office at 610-828-1092 can say which design wind speed and class apply to your address. The roofing permits guide covers the rest of the permit.

After a windy day, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s natural disaster guide tells homeowners to take pictures or video of damage before cleaning up, to make only the repairs needed to prevent more damage, and to wait for the insurer’s approval before permanent repairs. The same guide suggests asking the insurer each year whether wind damage is covered, and it notes that a policy may deny a claim for damage caused by neglect, such as dead or overhanging limbs left in place. Coverage turns on the policy wording, so ask the insurer or an agent. The storm damage and insurance claims guide covers the claim process, and the roof inspection checklist lists what to look at after a storm.

Caveats

The National Weather Service says daily observations become official only after a final quality control process at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, three or more months after they are taken. The 2026 figures here can still change. The data for September 30 were not yet published when this article was written, so 2026 counts run through September 29, and every year’s comparison uses the same January 1 to September 29 window.

The airport’s daily gust readings start in January 1996, so “since 1996” is as far back as these comparisons go. The record is missing gust readings for 10 days from 1996 through 2025, no more than 2 in any year, and none in 2026. One of those days, September 6, 2012, falls in September.

The airport sits on the Delaware River southeast of Conshohocken. A reading there measures the wind at one spot and says nothing exact about a given street in Conshohocken or West Conshohocken. The weather guide covers the area’s wind record alongside freeze-thaw days, rain and hail.

Wind | Conshy Roofers

Philadelphia's airport recorded a 50.1 mph gust on September 26, its first September gust that strong since 1996

The September storm

The year so far

What to check on a shingle roof

Caveats