NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Highland Falls, 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
36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Highland Falls, New York since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Highland Falls
The strongest storm to pass near Highland Falls was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 3 hurricane with 113 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 17 miles. The record near Highland Falls begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The 1890s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 36 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Highland Falls has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 65% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 15, 2018, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on November 16, 1989, killed 9 people. Of the 35, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 27, 2020. Highland Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Highland Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 809 New York cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Highland Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 48 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 71 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 55 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 71 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 17 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 56 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Highland Falls: 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 Highland Falls
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s7
- 2000s7
- 1990s8
- 1980s5
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2018 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2006 | F2 | 21 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 12 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 8 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 1989 | F1 | 11 mi | 9.1 mi | 9 / 18 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | EF1 | 16 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF1 | 9 mi | 2.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2017 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Highland Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Highland Falls since 1970, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 21, 2010. The most recent report is from May 23, 2024. July has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Highland Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is West Point, NY, 2 miles north of Highland Falls at 320 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. October is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 51.5 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (28.3 of 51.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 36 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.5 inches is more than at 128 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (93%). Peekskill, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Yorktown Hts 1W, NY): 50.3 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 3.8 | 7 | 11.1 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 3.0 | 6 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 47 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 | 9.6 |
| Apr | 60 | 41 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 64 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 57 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 46 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 36 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 4.6 | 7 | 7.0 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 51.5 | 84 | 35.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at West Point, NY (320 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 Highland Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 210 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Highland Falls: 139 thunderstorm wind reports, 58 flash floods, 7 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $13.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 15, 2018. July has had the most flash floods, 38 of 58. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 566 have had fewer than Highland Falls.
August 22, 2010: heavy rain event in Highland Falls — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “A car traveling on Route 9W in Highland Falls hydroplaned from the heavy rain, spun off the road, hit a rock and then hit the guard rail. A passenger in the back seat, who was pregnant, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at Cornwall Hospital.”
May 15, 2018: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Highland Falls — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
July 9, 2023: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Highland Falls — 1 killed.
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
Orange County, which includes Highland Falls, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 22, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Orange County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $98.7 million a year, the 11th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.2 million (64%), 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 Highland Falls
- West Point, NY1 mi
- Garrison, NY3 mi
- Lake Peekskill, NY5 mi
- Peekskill, NY6 mi
- Cortlandt Manor, NY6 mi
- Cold Spring, NY6 mi
- Cornwall On Hudson, NY6 mi
- Cornwall, NY6 mi
- Mohegan Lake, NY7 mi
- Buchanan, NY7 mi
- Putnam Valley, NY7 mi
- Highland Mills, NY8 mi
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