NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Altamont, NY
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Altamont, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Altamont
The strongest storm to pass near Altamont was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Altamont begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 4 miles away. The 1890s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Altamont. The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 10, 1989; its path came within 14 miles. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2020. Of the 809 New York cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Altamont. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 103 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Altamont has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Altamont's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Altamont
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 51 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Altamont: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Altamont
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1989 | F4 | 14 mi | 42 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 22, 2014 | EF3 | 6 mi | 6.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 20 mi | 30.5 mi | 0 / 68 |
| Jun 16, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 49.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F3 | 10 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 29, 2013 | EF2 | 8 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 30, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2013 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 2011 | EF1 | 15 mi | 6.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2010 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Altamont
The Storm Prediction Center has 103 hail reports within 10 miles of Altamont since 1968, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 22, 2014. The most recent report is from August 15, 2024. June has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Altamont
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Albany Airport, NY, 12 miles east of Altamont at 312 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 16°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.9 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (23.1 of 40.9 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 59.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.9 inches is more than at 49 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (36%). Delanson, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Cobleskill 2 ESE, NY): 41.0 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 16 | 2.6 | 6 | 15.6 |
| Feb | 36 | 18 | 2.3 | 5 | 13.7 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 3.1 | 7 | 12.0 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.1 | 7 | 1.6 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 49 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 3.3 | 7 | 13.3 |
| Year | 59 | 39 | 40.9 | 81 | 59.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Albany Airport, NY (312 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Altamont
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 366 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Altamont: 248 thunderstorm wind reports, 60 flash floods, 40 floods, 9 heavy rain events and 9 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on June 2, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 26 of 60. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 569 have had fewer than Altamont.
August 28, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Altamont — 1 killed.
July 2, 2014: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Altamont — 3 injured.
June 5, 2007: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Altamont — 2 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Altamont's ZIP code 12009 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $39,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 57% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 549 New York cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 123 have fewer than Altamont.
Albany County, which includes Altamont, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1987, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Albany County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $64.3 million a year, the 15th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $43.4 million (67%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.