Albany County, New York
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 36001 · population 314,684 · 523 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,729 records for Albany County, New York from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 762 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (519 records). The deadliest single record is the March 2, 2009 winter weather, filed for the forecast zone Eastern Albany, which covers the county: 1 death and 3 injuries. FEMA has issued 23 declarations naming the county since 1987, 19 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Henri” on August 22, 2021.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,729on 762 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 641 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $93Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 7strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 23latest 2021
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Albany County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 519 since 1956. 53% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in July and August. The rank column places the county among New York's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 519 | 212 | 1956-2026 | 1 | 11 | $15M | 8 of 58 |
| Winter storms | 390 | 215 | 1996-2026 | 3 | 3 | $1.6M | 7 of 58 |
| Floods | 205 | 83 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 1 | $11M | 8 of 58 |
| Hail | 185 | 90 | 1958-2024 | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | 3 of 58 |
| High wind and dust storms | 172 | 93 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 2 | $1.8M | 7 of 58 |
| Extreme cold | 118 | 73 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $822K | 4 of 58 |
| Heat | 92 | 69 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 58 |
| Lightning | 21 | 19 | 1996-2021 | 0 | 9 | $544K | 6 of 58 |
| Tornadoes | 7 | 7 | 1973-2014 | 0 | 15 | $60M | 23 of 58 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 3 | 2008-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 of 58 |
| Drought | 5 | 3 | 1999-2001 | 0 | 0 | – | 31 of 58 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 3 | 2 | 2011-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 58 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 2000-2014 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 58 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 1 | 2002-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 58 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 0 | $857K | 2 of 58 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Albany County had?
NOAA records 7 tornadoes in Albany County from 1973 to 2014, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 15 injuries recorded in the county. That is 23rd of 58 New York counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 8 tornadoes whose track touched Albany County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 7: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-07-10 11:27, as SPC files it | Schoharie | F4 | 42 mi | 0 |
| 2014-05-22 13:33, as SPC files it | Delanson | EF3 | 6.79 mi | 0 |
| 1974-06-16 11:10, as SPC files it | Albany | F3 | 49.1 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in New York.
Every tornado record filed for Albany County (7)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-05-22 | Knox, Albany County | EF1 0.51 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-05-31 | Colonie, Albany County | F1 3.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $45K |
| 1990-08-28 | Albany County | F0 0.3 mi x 7 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1989-07-10 | Albany County | F4 13 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 0 | $25M step |
| 1984-05-12 | Albany County | F0 | 0 | 13 | $25K step |
| 1980-07-11 | Albany County | F0 0.2 mi x 133 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1973-06-30 | Albany County | F1 1.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Albany County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 7, 2025 flash flood ($125,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindSelkirk, Albany County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindCoeymans Hollow, Albany County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindCohoes, Albany County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-12 | HeatAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-11 | HeatAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-14 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Bethlehem, Albany County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | Thunderstorm WindWestmere, Albany County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Strong WindAlbany County · forecast zone Western Albany | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | High WindAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-14 | Strong WindAlbany County · forecast zone Western Albany | 38 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-14 | Strong WindAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany | 44 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter WeatherAlbany County · forecast zone Western Albany | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-03-02 | Winter WeatherAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany An accident occurred at approximately 1425 LST on Route 155 in New Scotland, resulting in the death of a 69 year old woman. Her vehicle collided with a delivery truck on a slippery roadway. The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital, and it was determined that his injuries were not life threatening. Another ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2007-04-16 | FloodCoeymans, Albany County Heavy rain led to widespread flooding of small streams and creeks across the county, which began during the morning hours of Monday, April 16th, and persisted into late Monday evening on the 16th. Widespread flooding led to numerous road closures, including Miller Road off Route 9W in Coeymans, Route 32 in New ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-12-16 | Heavy SnowAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany One man was killed (indirect) after his snowmobile collided with a tractor trailer on Interstate 787 southbound in Albany at Exit 4B near the Corning Preserve around 2:30 am on Thursday, December 17. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-08-28 | Flash FloodClarksville, Albany County A woman died when she was swept into the Onesquethaw Creek near her home on Slingerlands Avenue in Clarksville. The time of her death is estimated. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2007-01-14 | Winter WeatherAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany A cold front slowly settled south across the region late Saturday, January 13th, before becoming stationary across the northern Mid Atlantic states. A wave of low pressure then traveled northeast along this front, and produced a mix of freezing rain and sleet across the region Sunday morning. Ice accretion from the ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1995-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindWesterlo, Albany County | 1 | 0 | $2K | |
| 1984-05-12 | TornadoAlbany County | F0 | 0 | 13 | $25K step |
| 2002-08-14 | Thunderstorm WindAlbany County An upper level disturbance triggered scattered thunderstorms across eastern New York during the afternoon of August 14. The airmass was exceptionally hot and humid, allowing some of the storms to pulse to severe levels. Severe thunderstorms especially pounded Albany County, despositing quarter size hail in the city of ... | 0 | 9 | $16K |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-23 | Thunderstorm WindCoeymans Hollow, Albany County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $8.6M |
| 1999-09-16 | Flash FloodCountywide, Albany County | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 1995-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Albany County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2002-08-14 | Thunderstorm WindGuilderland, Albany County | 0 | 1 | $1.7M | |
| 2001-05-28 | HailAlbany County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2000-05-16 | Debris FlowDelmar, Albany County | 0 | 0 | $857K | |
| 2008-05-01 | Frost/FreezeAlbany County · forecast zone Eastern Albany | 0 | 0 | $822K | |
| 2008-06-16 | HailGlenmont, Albany County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $514K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 10, 1989 (tornado, Albany County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Albany County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 19 | 4 | 22 | 75 | 59 | 200 | 139 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 38 | 119 | 119 | 114 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 13 | 35 | 90 | 67 |
| Hail | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 80 | 53 | 11 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 17 | 24 | 51 | 80 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 2 | 34 | 56 | 26 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
53% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 186 · Feb 146 · Mar 108 · Apr 67 · May 145 · Jun 171 · Jul 313 · Aug 256 · Sep 69 · Oct 71 · Nov 49 · Dec 148 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Albany County
FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Albany County: 12 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for snowstorm (6) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-22 | EM-3565 | Hurricane | Hurricane Henri |
| 2020-03-20 | DR-4480 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3434 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-07-12 | DR-4322 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2012-10-28 | EM-3351 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2011-09-08 | EM-3341 | Severe Storm | Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee |
| 2011-08-31 | DR-4020 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2009-03-04 | DR-1827 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2008-12-18 | EM-3299 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2007-04-24 | DR-1692 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding |
| 2005-09-30 | EM-3262 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-08-03 | DR-1534 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2003-08-23 | EM-3186 | Other | Power Outage |
| 2003-03-27 | EM-3184 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2003-02-25 | EM-3173 | Snowstorm | Snowstorms |
| 2001-09-11 | DR-1391 | Fire | Fires and Explosions |
| 2000-10-11 | EM-3155 | Other | West Nile Virus |
| 2000-07-21 | DR-1335 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1999-09-19 | DR-1296 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1996-01-24 | DR-1095 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-01-12 | DR-1083 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1993-03-17 | EM-3107 | Snowstorm | Severe Blizzard |
| 1987-11-10 | DR-801 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Albany County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 205 flood or flash flood records for Albany County from 1996 to 2025, on 83 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Albany County ranks 628th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene | 2011-08-28 | 1 | 1 |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999-09-16 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.7 million on 377 claims filed in Albany County; the most in one year was 95 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 14 · 1980: 9 · 1981: 9 · 1982: 3 · 1983: 6 · 1984: 3 · 1985: 1 · 1986: 15 · 1987: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1993: 4 · 1996: 38 · 1998: 2 · 1999: 25 · 2000: 25 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 2 · 2003: 3 · 2004: 4 · 2005: 11 · 2006: 5 · 2007: 17 · 2008: 7 · 2009: 12 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 95 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 17; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Albany County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Albany County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $64.3 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.2M | 28 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $700K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $68K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $43M | 2.8 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $6.9M | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $3.8M | once in about 20 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.6M | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.2M | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Albany County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in New YorkEvery New York tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in New YorkThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The New York recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Albany CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Albany County's FEMA declarations (CSV)23 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis