NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ballston Spa, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ballston Spa, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ballston Spa
The strongest storm to pass near Ballston Spa was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Ballston Spa begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 5 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Ballston Spa. The highest rating among the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 22, 2014, came within 21 miles. Of the 44, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. May and August have had the most tornadoes, 12 each. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2024. Ballston Spa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 128 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Ballston Spa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 809 New York cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ballston Spa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 40 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 72 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 Ballston Spa: 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 Ballston Spa
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2014 | EF3 | 21 mi | 6.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 8 mi | 30.5 mi | 0 / 68 |
| Jun 16, 1974 | F3 | 6 mi | 49.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F3 | 9 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 29, 2013 | EF2 | 15 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 11, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1973 | F2 | 17 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 8.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | EF1 | 15 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 29, 2020 | EF1 | 17 mi | 8.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2020 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ballston Spa
The Storm Prediction Center has 128 hail reports within 10 miles of Ballston Spa since 1969, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 72 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 1, 2011. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. June has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ballston Spa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saratoga Springs 4 SW, NY, 3 miles northeast of Ballston Spa at 326 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 14°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.4 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (25.3 of 46.4 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal August there has highs of 82°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 63.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.4 inches is more than at 93 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (68%). Clifton Park, 11 miles south, has its own station (Albany Airport, NY): 40.9 inches a year, 5.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 14 | 3.4 | 7 | 16.5 |
| Feb | 35 | 16 | 2.7 | 6 | 15.7 |
| Mar | 45 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 | 11.4 |
| Apr | 60 | 36 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.8 |
| May | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 56 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 3.9 | 8 | 15.1 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 46.4 | 88 | 63.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saratoga Springs 4 SW, NY (326 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 Ballston Spa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 366 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ballston Spa: 325 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 10 floods, 7 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 113 mph, on February 17, 2006. July has had the most flash floods, 16 of 22. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 352 have had fewer than Ballston Spa.
October 7, 2020: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Ballston Spa — 1 killed.
September 21, 2000: thunderstorm wind in Ballston Spa — 2 injured, $250,000 damage.
July 18, 2008: lightning strike in Ballston Spa — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two girls were struck by lightning near a main gate at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa. The two girls were standing near a main gate at the Fairgrounds when lightning struck a nearby tree during a thunderstorm.”
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 Ballston Spa's ZIP code 12020 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2007, and were paid $203,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 11 claims (48% of all) and $57,000. 78% 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, 135 have fewer than Ballston Spa.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 11 | $57,000 |
Saratoga County, which includes Ballston Spa, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1987, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saratoga County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $53.0 million a year, the 19th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $38.3 million (72%), 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.
Cities near Ballston Spa
- Ballston Lake, NY6 mi
- Saratoga Springs, NY7 mi
- Burnt Hills, NY7 mi
- Middle Grove, NY8 mi
- Greenfield Center, NY8 mi
- Mechanicville, NY10 mi
- Stillwater, NY10 mi
- Galway, NY11 mi
- Clifton Park, NY11 mi
- Scotia, NY11 mi
- Rexford, NY11 mi
- Schaghticoke, NY14 mi
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