NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carthage, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Carthage, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 9
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Carthage
The strongest storm to pass near Carthage was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Carthage begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 65 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Carthage. The strongest of the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on August 7, 2023; its path came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on August 15, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 9, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 9, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Carthage. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2008, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 809 New York cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Carthage.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Carthage
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 68 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Carthage: 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 Carthage
By decade
- 2020s3(1 EF3+)
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1980s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF3 | 25 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 12 mi | 12.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2005 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1959 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2024 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 2003 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1987 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2024 | Unrated | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carthage
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Carthage since 2008. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 29, 2012. The most recent report is from May 29, 2012.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carthage
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Watertown, NY, 13 miles west of Carthage at 497 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 11°F. October is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 44.5 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. Snowfall averages 116.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.5 inches is more than at 79 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (58%). Castorland, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Lowville, NY): 42.0 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 11 | 3.6 | 10 | 34.0 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 2.9 | 8 | 29.6 |
| Mar | 40 | 22 | 2.8 | 8 | 13.6 |
| Apr | 54 | 35 | 3.5 | 8 | 2.7 |
| May | 67 | 47 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 57 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 62 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 5.0 | 10 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 46 | 31 | 4.2 | 9 | 9.1 |
| Dec | 35 | 20 | 3.9 | 10 | 26.9 |
| Year | 55 | 37 | 44.5 | 102 | 116.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Watertown, NY (497 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 Carthage
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carthage: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 30, 2026.
April 28, 2011: flood 6 miles from the centre of Carthage — $1.1 million 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 Carthage's ZIP code 13619 have filed 55 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $310,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 25. 4% 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, 299 have fewer than Carthage.
Jefferson County, which includes Carthage, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, on September 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.7 million a year, the 36th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (76%), 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 Carthage
- Black River, NY8 mi
- Castorland, NY10 mi
- Copenhagen, NY10 mi
- Fort Drum, NY10 mi
- Evans Mills, NY13 mi
- Watertown, NY15 mi
- Lowville, NY15 mi
- Theresa, NY19 mi
- Harrisville, NY21 mi
- Adams Center, NY21 mi
- Dexter, NY22 mi
- La Fargeville, NY22 mi
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