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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Forestville, 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

8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Forestville, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
1

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
7

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
33

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

2 deaths in all

What the records show for Forestville

The strongest storm to pass near Forestville was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Forestville begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 20 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Forestville. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 2, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 33, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on July 10, 2024. Forestville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 809 New York cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Forestville.

Compare Forestville's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Forestville

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Forestville, New York, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1995OpalOct 620 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 4
1989HugoSep 2323 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 5
1955ConnieAug 1435 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 4
1954HazelOct 1657 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 2066 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 5
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2948 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 3032 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1878Unnamed 1878 stormSep 1318 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2

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

By decade

  • 2020s4
  • 2010s4
  • 1990s10
  • 1980s5(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s5(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Forestville, New York
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 2, 1983F310 mi28 mi2 / 0
May 31, 1985F322 mi13 mi0 / 10
Aug 19, 1970F321 mi2.3 mi0 / 3
Jun 20, 1969F323 mi84.1 mi0 / 0
Jul 10, 2024EF219 mi3.2 mi0 / 0
Nov 14, 2011EF221 mi2.92 mi0 / 0
Nov 14, 2011EF29 mi4.13 mi0 / 0
Jul 24, 2010EF221 mi7.62 mi0 / 0
Jul 24, 2010EF221 mi7.61 mi0 / 0
Jun 13, 1994F216 mi3 mi0 / 1
Jul 12, 1992F26 mi4 mi0 / 0
May 17, 1969F214 mi2 mi0 / 1

The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Forestville

The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Forestville since 1958, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 28, 2017. The most recent report is from April 14, 2019. May has the most reports, 5.

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

Weather by month in Forestville

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dunkirk Chautauqua Airport, NY, 6 miles northwest of Forestville at 666 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. October is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 33.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. That 33.2 inches is more than at 7 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (5%). South Dayton, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Perrysburg, NY): 53.9 inches a year, 20.7 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Dunkirk Chautauqua Airport, NY
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan34191.75
Feb35191.24
Mar43251.75
Apr55352.87
May67463.17
Jun76562.77
Jul80613.76
Aug79603.37
Sep72533.67
Oct61443.99
Nov49343.17
Dec39272.47
Year584033.278

Averages for 1991–2020 at Dunkirk Chautauqua Airport, NY (666 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 Forestville

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 129 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Forestville: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 6 floods, 5 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $35.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 77 mph, on May 3, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 22. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 352 have had fewer than Forestville.

  • August 9, 2009: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Forestville — $30.0 million damage.

  • July 14, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Forestville — $750,000 damage.

  • July 14, 2015: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Forestville — $750,000 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

Chautauqua County, which includes Forestville, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chautauqua County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $43.6 million a year, the 22nd highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.0 million (83%), 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 Forestville