New York sees a moderate amount of severe weather each year, with 547 confirmed tornadoes, 4,948 hailstorm events and 18,975 damaging-wind events recorded by the National Weather Service since 1950., and averages 7.3 tornadoes per year over the 75-year record. New York combines a continental severe-weather season with lake-effect winter storms, giving it one of the most varied weather climates in the country. The interactive map below plots every significant severe-weather event in New York from the official NOAA Storm Events Database (1950 through September 2025).

Use the map to find your county, click any marker for the date, magnitude, and casualty details of that event, and switch between tornadoes, hail and wind using the chips. For the national view across all 50 states, see our NOAA Storm Reports interactive map. For tornado tracks specifically, see the US Tornado Tracks map; for hail size and frequency, the US Hailstorms map.

New York Severe Weather by the Numbers (1950–2025)

• 547 tornadoes recorded between 1950 and 2025
• 93 violent tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger
• 28 direct tornado deaths and 317 direct injuries
• 4,948 hailstorm events recorded by the NWS
• 18,975 damaging-wind events on record
• 7.3 tornadoes per year on average across the 75-year record
• July is the peak severe-weather month, accounting for roughly 28.5% of New York tornadoes
• 543 total direct deaths from all severe-weather event types tracked by the NWS

When New York Severe Weather Happens

New York tornado activity peaks in spring, with March through June accounting for about 35% of all events. The single busiest month is July, which alone produces around 28.5% of recorded tornadoes.

• July: 156 tornadoes (28.5%) — peak month
• August: 104 tornadoes (19%)
• May: 84 tornadoes (15.4%)
• June: 78 tornadoes (14.3%)
• September: 53 tornadoes (9.7%)
• April: 30 tornadoes (5.5%)

Top 10 New York Counties by Tornado Frequency

Tornado activity in New York is geographically broad, but a handful of counties have logged many times the state average. The combination of population density (more spotters and damage reports), county land area and local climatology drives the rankings below.

The Deadliest Tornadoes in New York History

New York has lost 28 lives to tornadoes since the National Weather Service began systematic tornado record-keeping in 1950. The single deadliest event killed 9 people in Orange County in 1989, rated F1 on the Fujita scale.

New York Tornado Strength Distribution

Most New York tornadoes are weak: roughly 82% are rated F0/EF0 or F1/EF1. Violent tornadoes (F2+/EF2+) account for around 17.6% of rated tornadoes in the state.

• F0/EF0 (weak): 195 tornadoes — 36.9% of rated events
• F1/EF1: 241 tornadoes — 45.6% of rated events
• F2/EF2 (strong): 64 tornadoes — 12.1% of rated events
• F3/EF3: 23 tornadoes — 4.3% of rated events
• F4/EF4 (violent): 6 tornadoes — 1.1% of rated events

Record-Setting Severe Weather in New York

Largest hailstone: 4.00 inches in diameter, observed in Niagara County near Niagara Falls on September 27, 1998. The three largest hailstones on record in New York measured 4.00″, 4.00″, 3.50″.

Highest measured wind gust: 98 knots (113 mph) recorded in Saratoga County near Milton Center on February 17, 2006. Most damaging-wind events in New York are estimated rather than measured because anemometers are sparse across the rural areas where supercells most often produce destructive thunderstorm winds.

How New York Compares Nationally

New York ranks 30th nationally for tornado frequency, in the middle of the pack of US states by severe-weather activity.

• Tornadoes (top 5): Texas (9,908), Kansas (4,890), Oklahoma (4,856), Florida (3,779), Iowa (3,417).
• New York tornado total: 547 — ranked 30th nationally.
• New York hail total: 4,948 hail events on record since 1950.
• New York wind total: 18,975 damaging-wind events on record since 1950.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tornadoes does New York have on average per year?

New York averages 7.3 tornadoes per year over the 1950–2025 period. Counts vary widely year to year, but the long-term mean over 75 years of NWS records is a reliable benchmark for typical activity.

What was the deadliest tornado in New York history?

The November 16, 1989 tornado, rated F1 on the Fujita scale, killed 9 people and injured 18 in Orange County. It remains the single deadliest tornado in the New York modern record.

Where in New York are tornadoes most common?

The single county with the most tornadoes on record is Suffolk County with 32 events. The three most active counties overall are Suffolk, Chautauqua, Oneida.

How does New York compare to its neighbors?

New York shares a severe-weather climate with Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Severe storms regularly cross state lines, so the same supercells, hail cores and wind events often appear in New York’s neighbors’ records on the same date.

How recent is the data on this map?

The map and statistics on this page are pulled from NOAA’s official Storm Events Database, which currently runs from January 1950 through September 2025. New records typically appear in the database within 30–90 days of the event date, once damage surveys and ratings are complete.

Compare New York to Neighboring States

Severe weather doesn’t stop at state lines. The same supercell systems that produce New York tornadoes regularly cross into neighboring states. Compare New York’s storm history to its land neighbors:

• Vermont severe storm history — ranked 47th nationally, Northeast nor’easter corridor
• Massachusetts severe storm history — ranked 37th nationally, Northeast nor’easter corridor
• Connecticut severe storm history — ranked 43rd nationally, Northeast nor’easter corridor
• New Jersey severe storm history — ranked 36th nationally, Northeast nor’easter corridor
• Pennsylvania severe storm history — ranked 26th nationally, Great Lakes severe-weather and lake-effect winters

Explore the national NOAA Storm Reports map · US Tornado Tracks map · US Hailstorms map