NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lake Placid, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lake Placid, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 3
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Lake Placid
The strongest storm to pass near Lake Placid was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Lake Placid begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Lake Placid. The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on May 6, 1952; its path came within 3 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 26, 1986. Of the 809 New York cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lake Placid. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 8 times since 2007, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 809 New York cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lake Placid.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lake Placid
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 68 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lake Placid: 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 Lake Placid
By decade
- 1980s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1952 | F2 | 3 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 1986 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 1958 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lake Placid
The Storm Prediction Center has 8 hail reports within 10 miles of Lake Placid since 2007, made on 6 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on June 2, 2007. The most recent report is from August 3, 2023.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lake Placid
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lake Placid 2 S, NY, 2 miles northwest of Lake Placid at 1,888 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 74°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 43.8 inches over 107 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 184 nights a year. Snowfall averages 104.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 43.8 inches is more than at 70 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (51%). Saranac Lake, 11 miles west, has its own station (Saranac Regional Airport, NY): 36.7 inches a year, 7.1 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 74°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 7 | 3.1 | 9 | 21.0 |
| Feb | 27 | 8 | 2.3 | 7 | 21.0 |
| Mar | 36 | 16 | 2.9 | 8 | 18.9 |
| Apr | 49 | 29 | 3.4 | 9 | 7.8 |
| May | 62 | 40 | 3.9 | 10 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 70 | 49 | 4.8 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 74 | 54 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 73 | 52 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 66 | 45 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 52 | 35 | 4.2 | 10 | 2.6 |
| Nov | 40 | 25 | 3.4 | 9 | 9.6 |
| Dec | 29 | 14 | 3.5 | 9 | 22.7 |
| Year | 50 | 31 | 43.8 | 107 | 104.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lake Placid 2 S, NY (1,888 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 Lake Placid
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 47 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lake Placid: 36 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $6.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on June 10, 2008. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Lake Placid.
June 10, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lake Placid — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees downed by thunderstorms winds in Wilmington, including Route 86 and Springfield road. Motorcyclist hit fallen tree on road and died from his injuries.”
April 27, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Lake Placid — $6.0 million damage.
May 28, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Lake Placid — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Rock slide along Route 73 near Cascade Lake as well as other water covered and partially washed out sections of Route 73 in Keene.”
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 Lake Placid's ZIP code 12946 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $228,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% 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, 116 have fewer than Lake Placid.
Essex County, which includes Lake Placid, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, on September 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Essex County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.6 million a year, the 43rd highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.6 million (76%), 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 Lake Placid
- Saranac Lake, NY11 mi
- Saranac, NY24 mi
- Tupper Lake, NY25 mi
- Keeseville, NY27 mi
- Peru, NY29 mi
- Cadyville, NY31 mi
- Morrisonville, NY34 mi
- Vergennes, VT35 mi
- Charlotte, VT36 mi
- Plattsburgh, NY37 mi
- Shelburne, VT37 mi
- Burlington, VT39 mi
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