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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kirkwood, 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

11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kirkwood, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
1

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
10

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
27

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
1

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Kirkwood

The strongest storm to pass near Kirkwood was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Kirkwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The 1870s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Kirkwood. The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 31, 1998; its path came within 1 mile. Of the 27, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on February 28, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kirkwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1988, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Kirkwood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 809 New York cities.

Compare Kirkwood's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kirkwood

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Kirkwood, New York, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020IsaiasAug 467 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
1979DavidSep 610 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 5
1972AgnesJun 2321 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2933 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 4
1933Unnamed 1933 stormAug 2432 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 4
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 332 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1903Unnamed 1903 stormSep 1727 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 2
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 175 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 2
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1462 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2342 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 2
1876Unnamed 1876 stormSep 1865 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 3

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

By decade

  • 2020s4
  • 2010s7
  • 2000s8
  • 1990s6(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s1
  • 1960s1
Strongest tornadoes near Kirkwood, New York
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 31, 1998F31 mi62 mi0 / 12
Sep 18, 1991F223 mi4 mi0 / 0
Aug 7, 2023EF116 mi1.96 mi0 / 0
Aug 7, 2023EF116 mi1.41 mi0 / 0
Apr 14, 2019EF122 mi2.35 mi0 / 0
Apr 14, 2019EF110 mi2.15 mi0 / 0
Sep 2, 2014EF123 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jul 8, 2014EF121 mi1.4 mi0 / 0
Jul 26, 2012EF119 mi1.24 mi0 / 0
May 24, 2004F116 mi6 mi0 / 0
May 31, 2002F119 mi6 mi0 / 7
Jun 2, 1998F125 mi12 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Kirkwood

The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Kirkwood since 1988, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 3, 2025. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. June has the most reports, 30.

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

Weather by month in Kirkwood

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Binghamton, NY, 14 miles northwest of Kirkwood at 1,606 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 42.1 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (23.5 of 42.1 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 86.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.1 inches is more than at 58 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (42%). Hallstead, PA, 7 miles south, has its own station (Montrose, PA): 46.7 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 78°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Binghamton, NY
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan30162.6620.6
Feb32172.4619.7
Mar41243.1716.4
Apr54353.683.8
May66463.880.1
Jun74554.780.0
Jul78593.880.0
Aug77584.170.0
Sep70514.060.0
Oct57413.871.0
Nov45313.176.8
Dec34223.1718.1
Year553842.18786.5

Averages for 1991–2020 at Binghamton, NY (1,606 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 Kirkwood

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 309 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kirkwood: 214 thunderstorm wind reports, 76 flash floods, 17 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $226.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on August 5, 2024. August has had the most flash floods, 30 of 76. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 603 have had fewer than Kirkwood.

  • November 16, 2006: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Kirkwood — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.

  • August 23, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Kirkwood — 2 injured, $20,000 damage.

  • September 7, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Kirkwood — $170.0 million 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

Flood insurance policyholders in Kirkwood's ZIP code 13795 have filed 188 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011: 50 claims (27% of all) and $3.1 million, then Flooding in 1996 with 14 and Torrential rain in 2005 with 13. 44% 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, 439 have fewer than Kirkwood.

Flood insurance claims in Kirkwood by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Tropical Storm Lee201150$3.1 million
Flooding199614$50,000
Torrential rain200513$84,000

Broome County, which includes Kirkwood, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 8 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, on September 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Broome County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.1 million a year, the 17th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $48.8 million (81%), 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 Kirkwood