NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Highland, 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
30 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Highland, New York since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 34 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 26
- Tornadoes
- 34
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Highland
The strongest storm to pass near Highland was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 24 miles. The record near Highland begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 27 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 4 systems. Of the 30 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Highland has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 60% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 34 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 15, 2018, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on November 16, 1989, killed 9 people. Of the 34, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2024. Highland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Highland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 809 New York cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Highland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 56 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 54 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 24 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 37 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Highland: 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
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s4
- 2000s7
- 1990s4
- 1980s6
- 1970s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2000 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 1989 | F1 | 16 mi | 9.1 mi | 9 / 18 |
| Jul 13, 2022 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2021 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF1 | 25 mi | 4.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2017 | EF1 | 8 mi | 1.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 34, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Highland
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Highland since 1975, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 11 days, most recently June 29, 2020. The most recent report is from June 29, 2020. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Highland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Poughkeepsie, NY, 4 miles east of Highland at 251 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 47.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 30 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 135 nights a year. That 47.1 inches is more than at 99 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (72%). Milton, 4 miles south, has its own station (Poughkeepsie Dutchess Co Airport, NY): 41.9 inches a year, 5.2 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Turkey Point Hudson River NERRS, NY, 21 miles north, averaged 79°F in July and 35°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 3.5 | 7 | 35 |
| Feb | 39 | 20 | 2.8 | 6 | 35 |
| Mar | 47 | 27 | 3.5 | 6 | 40 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.9 | 7 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 3.5 | 9 | 62 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 4.6 | 9 | 73 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 7 | 79 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 7 | 77 |
| Sep | 74 | 54 | 4.6 | 6 | 73 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 4.6 | 7 | 62 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 3.5 | 6 | 49 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 3.8 | 8 | 38 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 47.1 | 84 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Poughkeepsie, NY (251 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Turkey Point Hudson River NERRS, NY, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 348 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Highland: 289 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 floods, 22 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $10.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 145 mph, on May 18, 2000. September has had the most flash floods, 7 of 22. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 352 have had fewer than Highland.
August 12, 2016: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Highland — 2 killed, 3 injured.
July 3, 2009: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Highland — 1 killed.
NWS: “A man was in the backyard of his home wrapping up an extension cord when lightning either struck the ground near him or the cord.”
June 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Highland — 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Highland's ZIP code 12528 have filed 48 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 15 claims (31% of all) and $684,000. 69% 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, 273 have fewer than Highland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 15 | $684,000 |
Ulster County, which includes Highland, has been named in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 9 hurricanes, 7 floods, 5 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ulster County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $67.2 million a year, the 14th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $45.5 million (68%), 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
- Milton, NY4 mi
- Poughkeepsie, NY5 mi
- New Paltz, NY6 mi
- Hyde Park, NY7 mi
- Marlboro, NY8 mi
- Wappingers Falls, NY10 mi
- Ulster Park, NY10 mi
- Pleasant Valley, NY10 mi
- Wallkill, NY11 mi
- Staatsburg, NY11 mi
- Salt Point, NY13 mi
- Stone Ridge, NY13 mi
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