NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cortland, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cortland, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Cortland
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cortland; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Cortland begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 65 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 62% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cortland. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 28, 2011, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on October 14, 1989, killed 2 people. Of the 24, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cortland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1995, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Cortland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Cortland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cortland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 23 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 Cortland: 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 Cortland
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s2
- 2000s4
- 1990s6
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 1989 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 7.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 28, 1988 | F1 | 22 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 8.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 5 mi | 9.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2021 | EF1 | 10 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1993 | F1 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 31, 1992 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.5 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 Cortland
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Cortland since 1995, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from July 10, 2024. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cortland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Freeville 1 NE, NY, 9 miles southwest of Cortland at 1,050 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.5 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (23.2 of 39.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 156 nights a year. Snowfall averages 64.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.5 inches is more than at 37 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (27%). Mc Graw, 6 miles east, has its own station (Tully Heiberg Forest, NY): 48.7 inches a year, 9.2 more than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 12 | 2.2 | 6 | 16.1 |
| Feb | 33 | 12 | 2.0 | 6 | 14.5 |
| Mar | 40 | 20 | 2.7 | 7 | 13.0 |
| Apr | 53 | 33 | 3.2 | 8 | 2.4 |
| May | 66 | 44 | 3.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 55 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 49 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 38 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 46 | 29 | 2.8 | 6 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 35 | 21 | 2.7 | 7 | 12.7 |
| Year | 55 | 35 | 39.5 | 89 | 64.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Freeville 1 NE, NY (1,050 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 Cortland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 231 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cortland: 186 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $5.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 22, 2024. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 497 have had fewer than Cortland.
June 27, 2007: thunderstorm wind in Cortland — 4 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell on an occupied car.”
June 22, 2024: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cortland — 1 injured, $59,000 damage.
April 3, 2005: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Cortland — $3.0 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 Cortland's ZIP code 13045 have filed 191 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Torrential rain in 2005: 70 claims (37% of all) and $441,000, then Flooding in 1996 with 30. 52% 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, 440 have fewer than Cortland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Torrential rain2005 | 70 | $441,000 |
| Flooding1996 | 30 | $306,000 |
Cortland County, which includes Cortland, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cortland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.1 million a year, the 52nd highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.5 million (85%), 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 Cortland
- Mc Graw, NY6 mi
- Homer, NY6 mi
- Dryden, NY9 mi
- Freeville, NY10 mi
- Groton, NY10 mi
- Marathon, NY11 mi
- Locke, NY12 mi
- Cincinnatus, NY13 mi
- Tully, NY15 mi
- Moravia, NY16 mi
- Brooktondale, NY17 mi
- Lansing, NY18 mi
All New York cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Cortland with another place →