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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buchanan, 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

40 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Buchanan, New York since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 42 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
6

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
34

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
42

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

11 deaths in all

What the records show for Buchanan

The strongest storm to pass near Buchanan was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 13 miles. The record near Buchanan begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 64 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 40 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Buchanan has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 65% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 42 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 9 times; the most recent, on May 15, 2018, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on November 16, 1989, killed 9 people. Of the 42, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on August 27, 2020. Buchanan has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Buchanan has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 809 New York cities.

Compare Buchanan's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Buchanan

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Buchanan, New York, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaSep 264 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 4
2020IsaiasAug 443 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
2011IreneAug 2812 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 3
2008HannaSep 745 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1999FloydSep 1745 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1996BerthaJul 1332 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1985GloriaSep 2745 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 4
1976BelleAug 1042 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 3
1972AgnesJun 226 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
1971DoriaAug 2813 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1968Unnamed 1968 stormSep 1143 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1961Unnamed 1961 stormSep 1553 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1960DonnaSep 1266 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 4
1960BrendaJul 3036 miTropical storm (55 mph)Tropical storm
1955DianeAug 1947 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1952AbleSep 113 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2974 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 4
1938Unnamed 1938 stormSep 2154 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 5
1934Unnamed 1934 stormSep 949 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1955 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 3012 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1771 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 48 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1673 miTropical storm (43 mph)Tropical storm
1900Unnamed 1900 stormOct 1467 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 135 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 2
1897Unnamed 1897 stormSep 2471 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 1066 miCategory 1 (85 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2926 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2413 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1256 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 223 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 2469 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2363 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 2
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 575 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 3030 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 2641 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1866Unnamed 1866 stormOct 303 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1863Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19overheadTropical storm (48 mph)Tropical storm
1861Unnamed 1861 stormSep 2832 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Buchanan: 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 Buchanan

By decade

  • 2020s1
  • 2010s10
  • 2000s5
  • 1990s9
  • 1980s6
  • 1970s7
  • 1960s2
  • 1950s2
Strongest tornadoes near Buchanan, New York
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 15, 2018EF221 mi1.18 mi0 / 0
Jul 12, 2006F214 mi10.1 mi0 / 6
Jul 10, 1989F217 mi0.5 mi0 / 5
Jul 29, 1971F213 mi4.5 mi0 / 0
Jul 29, 1971F215 mi6.2 mi0 / 0
Jul 15, 1970F224 mi2 mi0 / 0
Aug 7, 1962F224 mi2.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 6, 1956F217 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jul 14, 1950F223 mi5 mi0 / 3
Nov 16, 1989F114 mi9.1 mi9 / 18
Aug 27, 2020EF123 mi2.6 mi0 / 0
Oct 2, 2018EF124 mi3.76 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 42, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Buchanan

The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Buchanan since 1970, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 21, 2010. The most recent report is from August 3, 2024. July has the most reports, 17.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Buchanan

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Yorktown Hts 1W, NY, 7 miles east of Buchanan at 670 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 50.3 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (27.2 of 50.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 40 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 116 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.3 inches is more than at 124 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (91%). Stony Point, 4 miles southwest, has its own station (West Point, NY): 51.5 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Yorktown Hts 1W, NY
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan36173.778.8
Feb39183.1612.6
Mar47254.178.2
Apr60363.971.8
May70463.980.0
Jun78555.080.0
Jul83614.370.0
Aug81594.370.0
Sep74524.860.0
Oct63414.660.0
Nov51324.260.5
Dec41234.477.6
Year603950.38339.5

Averages for 1991–2020 at Yorktown Hts 1W, NY (670 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.

New York weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Buchanan

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 230 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buchanan: 168 thunderstorm wind reports, 47 flash floods, 8 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $106.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on July 9, 1997. July has had the most flash floods, 29 of 47. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 535 have had fewer than Buchanan.

  • August 22, 2010: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Buchanan — 1 killed, 2 injured.

  • August 28, 2011: flood 5 miles from the centre of Buchanan — 1 killed, 1 injured.

  • July 9, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Buchanan — 1 killed.

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

Westchester County, which includes Buchanan, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 6 floods, 6 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on January 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Westchester County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively High for hurricanes and inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $209.8 million a year, the 8th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $147.9 million (71%), 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 Buchanan