NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canandaigua, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Canandaigua, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Canandaigua
The strongest storm to pass near Canandaigua was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Canandaigua begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 12 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 2 systems. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Canandaigua. The strongest of the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on July 7, 2025; its path came within 12 miles. Of the 19, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 6. Of the 809 New York cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Canandaigua. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Canandaigua.
Compare Canandaigua's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canandaigua
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 42 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Canandaigua: 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 Canandaigua
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s6
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 19, 2022 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 2021 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2018 | EF1 | 12 mi | 1.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1996 | F1 | 10 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 20, 1994 | F1 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1993 | F1 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 9, 1991 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1978 | F1 | 21 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1956 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Canandaigua
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Canandaigua since 1956, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 15, 2024. The most recent report is from April 29, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 7 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canandaigua
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Canandaigua 3 S, NY, in Canandaigua at 720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 18°F. July is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 35.3 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (20.2 of 35.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. That 35.3 inches is more than at 13 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (9%). Bloomfield, 8 miles west, has its own station (Honeoye, NY): 37.4 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 18 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 2.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 55 | 35 | 3.2 | 7 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 77 | 57 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 62 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 54 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Oct | 61 | 43 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Nov | 49 | 33 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Year | 58 | 40 | 35.3 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Canandaigua 3 S, NY (720 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 Canandaigua
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 176 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canandaigua: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 11 floods, 6 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 16, 2022. July has had the most flash floods, 20 of 31. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 461 have had fewer than Canandaigua.
June 22, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Canandaigua — 3 injured, $90,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Canandaigua — $150,000 damage.
May 16, 2014: flood 7 miles from the centre of Canandaigua — $150,000 damage.
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 Canandaigua's ZIP code 14424 have filed 108 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $960,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Vermont/New York Flooding in 2023: 24 claims (22% of all) and $471,000. The year with the most claims was 1993, with 25. 28% 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, 387 have fewer than Canandaigua.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont/New York Flooding2023 | 24 | $471,000 |
Ontario County, which includes Canandaigua, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, on September 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ontario County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.6 million a year, the 34th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.1 million (79%), 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.