NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Central Square, 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 Central Square, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Agnes in 1972. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Central Square
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Central Square; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Central Square begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Agnes in 1972, a tropical storm 46 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Central Square. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on July 16, 2024, killed 1 person. Of the 24, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Central Square. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Central Square has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Central Square's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Central Square
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 21 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 Central Square: 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 Central Square
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s9
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 7 mi | 20 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 6 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1969 | F3 | 17 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.42 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 2024 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1986 | F1 | 10 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1960 | F1 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1958 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2024 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2010 | EF0 | 4 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Central Square
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Central Square since 1984, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 18, 2017. The most recent report is from August 3, 2023. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Central Square
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fulton, NY, 12 miles west of Central Square at 360 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 14°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and March and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 113 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 159.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.8 inches is more than at 96 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (70%). Hastings, 4 miles north, has its own station (Fulton Oswego Co Airport, NY): 39.6 inches a year, 7.2 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 14 | 3.8 | 11 | 50.2 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 3.7 | 10 | 47.7 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 3.5 | 8 | 17.0 |
| Apr | 55 | 35 | 3.9 | 10 | 2.5 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 3.8 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 4.7 | 12 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 4.0 | 9 | 9.8 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 4.4 | 12 | 31.5 |
| Year | 57 | 38 | 46.8 | 113 | 159.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fulton, NY (360 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 Central Square
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Central Square: 168 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 4 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 29, 2006.
May 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Central Square — 1 killed, 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
September 12, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Central Square — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Central Square — $500,000 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 Central Square's ZIP code 13036 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $116,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 549 New York cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 143 have fewer than Central Square.
Oswego County, which includes Central Square, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on October 21, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oswego County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.6 million a year, the 35th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.7 million (81%), 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.