New York severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 62 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 19,988 severe thunderstorm wind events in New York from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 548 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 15, 1995 thunderstorm wind: 5 deaths, 11 injuries and $355 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 24 records. New York ranks 13th of 52 states and territories by count and 14th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in New York, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 19,9881955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 548average
- Deaths
- 46398 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $924Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 20241,021 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in New York?
New York averages about 548 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 13th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (1,021). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New York records 4242 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 14th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in New York have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Queens County leads New York: 97 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 892.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Saratoga County has the most thunderstorm wind records (767 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in New York?
51% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (6,019 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 133 · Feb 86 · Mar 329 · Apr 731 · May 2,525 · Jun 4,136 · Jul 6,019 · Aug 3,774 · Sep 1,284 · Oct 577 · Nov 296 · Dec 98 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in New York?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindLake Luzerne, Warren County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (24, in 14 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 5 | 11 | $355M | |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindBaldwinsville, Onondaga County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. The derecho that caused extensive wind damage upstream in both Cayuga and Seneca counties continued eastward across Onondaga county. Widespread structural damage resulted and tens of thousands of trees were toppled in northern portions of the county. Direct human impact was also felt. Two fatalities and seven injuries ... | 3 | 10 | $227M | |
| 1990-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindOrange County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 3 | 8 | – | |
| 1997-07-18 | Thunderstorm WindQueens Village, Queens County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Two "waves" of severe thunderstorms moved southeast across the area: The first line of thunderstorms moved across Nassau and Western Suffolk Counties during the early afternoon. The second line of thunderstorms moved over the area during the evening. For the day, these thunderstorms caused two deaths and 24 ... | 2 | 24 | – | |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindBronx County One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. An intense line of severe thunderstorms oriented from north to south developed during Labor Day afternoon ahead of a strong approaching cold front. As the storms moved east at 40 to 50 mph, they produced high winds, large hail, and an isolated tornado. Wind gusts from 60 to 80 mph downed many trees and power lines ... | 2 | 6 | $4.5M | |
| 1986-06-16 | Thunderstorm WindOneida County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (4, in 4 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 2 | 6 | – | |
| 2018-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindNewburgh, Orange County One storm episode: 11 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. An approaching cold front triggered numerous severe thunderstorms over southeastern New York. These storms produced 3 tornadoes in the Lower Hudson Valley, as well as microbursts and macroburts. | 61 kt wind | 2 | 1 | $294K |
| 2014-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindOaks Corners, Ontario County Officials reported two people were killed when a tree fell on their car. | 60 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $44K |
| 1998-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindCooperstown, Otsego County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An intensifying storm system moved across upstate New York and into southern Quebec early in the morning on the 31st. This system dragged a warm front northeastward across central New York. A southerly flow of warm, moist, and unstable air quickly developed. This set the stage for severe weather that afternoon and ... | 1 | 15 | $679K | |
| 1999-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindOtisco, Onondaga County One storm episode: 3 records; the totals are the episode's. An upper level disturbance raced east from the Great Lakes during the afternoon and interacted with a very hot and humid airmass already sweltering over central New York. Clusters and lines of thunderstorms developed during the early evening over western New York and pushed into the Finger Lakes and then through the ... | 1 | 11 | $1.3M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in New York
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindLake Luzerne, Warren County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (24, in 14 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 5 | 11 | $355M | |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindBaldwinsville, Onondaga County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 10 | $227M | |
| 1998-09-06 | Thunderstorm WindRochester Airport, Monroe County One storm episode: 10 records in 7 places, 1998-09-06 to 1998-09-07; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 1 | $97M | |
| 1994-07-26 | Thunderstorm WindSaratoga Springs, Saratoga County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2000-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindPoughkeepsie, Dutchess County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $8.6M | |
| 2020-08-23 | Thunderstorm WindCoeymans Hollow, Albany County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $8.6M |
| 2025-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindBinghamton Airport, Broome County One storm episode: 36 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.9M |
| 1998-09-07 | Thunderstorm WindBronx County One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 6 | $4.5M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in New York?
New York's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | New York | United States | New York's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 51 | 3,482 | 1.5% |
| 1960s | 241 | 10,124 | 2.4% |
| 1970s | 344 | 18,714 | 1.8% |
| 1980s | 1,364 | 39,604 | 3.4% |
| 1990s | 3,366 | 85,554 | 3.9% |
| 2000s | 3,340 | 129,990 | 2.6% |
| 2010s | 5,852 | 161,286 | 3.6% |
| 2020-26 | 5,430 | 126,815 | 4.3% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in New York
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindDownsville, Delaware County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLaurens, Otsego County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindNew Lisbon, Otsego County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindDenmark, Lewis County | 75 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindHouseville, Lewis County | 85 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindChampion, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindCastorland, Lewis County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindClyde, Wayne County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindRedman, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindSackets Harbor, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindBeaver Falls, Lewis County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindClayton, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in New York
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 31 declarations in New York, 28 of them major disasters; the latest on October 21, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-21 | DR-4839 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 3 |
| 2024-08-25 | EM-3613 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-07-22 | DR-4723 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 9 |
| 2019-12-19 | DR-4472 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 18 |
| 2014-07-08 | DR-4180 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 11 |
| 2013-04-23 | DR-4111 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 1 |
| 2011-09-13 | DR-4031 | Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee | 15 |
| 2011-09-08 | EM-3341 | Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee | 15 |
| 2011-02-18 | DR-1957 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 10 |
| 2010-04-16 | DR-1899 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 9 |
| 2009-12-31 | DR-1869 | Severe Storms and Flooding Assoc W Td Ida & Nor'easter | 2 |
| 2009-09-01 | DR-1857 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 6 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Queens County: the county's whole recordThe New York county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New YorkTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in New York13,456 records
- Floods in New York6,836 records
- Hail in New York5,067 records