NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kennedy, 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 Kennedy, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Kennedy
The strongest storm to pass near Kennedy was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Kennedy begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 38 miles away. None of the 10 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Kennedy. The strongest of the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 2, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 43, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 10, 2024. Kennedy has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1982, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kennedy.
Compare Kennedy's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kennedy
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 58 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kennedy: 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 Kennedy
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s12
- 2000s3
- 1990s8
- 1980s8(3 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 19 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 10 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 4 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 2 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 14 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 14, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 4 mi | 7.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1969 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 6, 1968 | F2 | 16 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kennedy
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Kennedy since 1982, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 2, 2013. The most recent report is from June 9, 2025. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kennedy
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jamestown 4 ENE, NY, 5 miles southwest of Kennedy at 1,250 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.0 inches over 103 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (24.6 of 46.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 98.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.0 inches is more than at 90 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (66%). Randolph, 7 miles east, has its own station (Little Valley, NY): 49.2 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 16 | 3.8 | 11 | 29.8 |
| Feb | 35 | 16 | 2.7 | 8 | 19.3 |
| Mar | 44 | 23 | 3.2 | 8 | 15.3 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 3.9 | 9 | 2.7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 54 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 57 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 56 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 39 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 3.7 | 9 | 9.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 3.9 | 10 | 21.6 |
| Year | 58 | 37 | 46.0 | 103 | 98.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jamestown 4 ENE, NY (1,250 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 Kennedy
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 176 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kennedy: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 10 heavy rain events and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on January 9, 2008. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 471 have had fewer than Kennedy.
August 29, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Kennedy — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
May 21, 2014: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Kennedy — $500,000 damage.
May 21, 2014: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Kennedy — $200,000 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 Kennedy, 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 Kennedy
- Falconer, NY6 mi
- Randolph, NY7 mi
- Conewango Valley, NY7 mi
- Frewsburg, NY8 mi
- Jamestown, NY9 mi
- Sinclairville, NY12 mi
- Lakewood, NY13 mi
- Russell, PA14 mi
- Bemus Point, NY15 mi
- South Dayton, NY15 mi
- Little Valley, NY16 mi
- Cattaraugus, NY16 mi
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