NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kew Gardens, 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
47 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kew Gardens, New York since 1851, 8 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 8
- Tropical storms
- 39
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Kew Gardens
The strongest storm to pass near Kew Gardens was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Kew Gardens begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 47 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Kew Gardens has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on August 8, 2007, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on September 16, 2010, killed 1 person. Of the 43, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on November 13, 2021. Kew Gardens has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1963, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Kew Gardens has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Kew Gardens's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kew Gardens
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 11 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 28 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 44 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 60 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 49 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 41 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 47 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 41 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 3 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kew Gardens: 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 Kew Gardens
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7
- 2000s5
- 1990s8
- 1980s6
- 1970s13
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2007 | EF2 | 9 mi | 3.92 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 18, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 1970 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1962 | F2 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 2 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Oct 7, 2013 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2012 | EF1 | 6 mi | 4.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2010 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.87 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Aug 8, 2007 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2005 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kew Gardens
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Kew Gardens since 1963, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 1, 2011. The most recent report is from July 21, 2022. August has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kew Gardens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New York Laguardia Airport, NY, 6 miles northwest of Kew Gardens at 11 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 29°F. August is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 45.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 47 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (21); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 62 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.4 inches is more than at 85 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (62%). Richmond Hill, under a mile south, has its own station (New York Jfk International Airport, NY): 43.5 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Kings Point, NY, 8 miles northeast, averaged 74°F in August and 38°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Kings Point tide gauge, 8 miles from Kew Gardens, has risen 1.08 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1931 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 10.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 62 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 29 | 3.3 | 6 | 8.6 | 40 |
| Feb | 43 | 30 | 2.9 | 6 | 9.8 | 38 |
| Mar | 50 | 36 | 4.0 | 7 | 5.4 | 42 |
| Apr | 61 | 46 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.4 | 48 |
| May | 72 | 56 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 | 57 |
| Jun | 81 | 66 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 65 |
| Jul | 86 | 72 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 71 |
| Aug | 85 | 71 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Sep | 77 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 66 | 53 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.1 | 63 |
| Nov | 55 | 43 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.3 | 54 |
| Dec | 45 | 35 | 4.1 | 7 | 5.2 | 44 |
| Year | 63 | 50 | 45.4 | 75 | 29.8 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New York Laguardia Airport, NY (11 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Kings Point, 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 Kew Gardens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 575 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kew Gardens: 276 thunderstorm wind reports, 231 flash floods, 42 floods, 21 lightning strikes and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 21 people and injured 53, and the NWS estimated $130.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 125 mph, on September 16, 2010. September has had the most flash floods, 58 of 231. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 771 have had fewer than Kew Gardens.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Kew Gardens — 3 killed.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Kew Gardens — 3 killed.
July 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Kew Gardens — 2 killed, 16 injured.
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
Queens County, which includes Kew Gardens, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Queens County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for inland flooding, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $377.1 million a year, the highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $185.3 million (49%), 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 Kew Gardens
- Richmond Hill, NYunder 1 mi
- Forest Hills, NY1 mi
- South Richmond Hill, NY1 mi
- Woodhaven, NY2 mi
- Rego Park, NY2 mi
- Ozone Park, NY2 mi
- Jamaica, NY2 mi
- South Ozone Park, NY2 mi
- Middle Village, NY3 mi
- Fresh Meadows, NY3 mi
- Corona, NY3 mi
- Flushing, NY3 mi
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