NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lee Center, 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 Lee Center, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was David in 1979. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Lee Center
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lee Center; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1929, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Lee Center begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was David in 1979, a tropical storm 63 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lee Center. The highest rating among the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 7, 2023, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on July 8, 2014, killed 4 people. Of the 43, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on September 4, 2025. Lee Center has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Lee Center has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Lee Center's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lee Center
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lee Center: 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 Lee Center
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11
- 2000s3
- 1990s4
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF3 | 10 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 4 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF2 | 7 mi | 5.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 1990 | F2 | 9 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2025 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2.43 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.42 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1970 | F1 | 24 mi | 2.3 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 22, 2025 | EF1 | 16 mi | 4.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 1 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 4 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.31 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 Lee Center
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Lee Center since 1967, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 22, 2013. The most recent report is from June 23, 2024. June and July have the most reports, 20 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lee Center
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rome Griffiss Airfield, NY, 7 miles southeast of Lee Center at 519 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 44.0 inches over 94 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 147 nights a year. That 44.0 inches is more than at 71 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (52%). Taberg, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Camden, NY): 50.0 inches a year, 6.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 13 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Feb | 32 | 13 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 41 | 23 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.7 | 8 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 4.7 | 10 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Dec | 36 | 21 | 3.0 | 8 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 44.0 | 94 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rome Griffiss Airfield, NY (519 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 Lee Center
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 167 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lee Center: 135 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods and 15 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 23, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 17. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 271 have had fewer than Lee Center.
November 6, 2005: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Lee Center — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and wires. Several structures had roof damage including the roof of a barn in Remsen.”
June 9, 2004: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Lee Center — 1 injured, $15,000 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
Oneida County, which includes Lee Center, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 floods, 5 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, on October 8, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oneida 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, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.8 million a year, the 18th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $39.1 million (71%), 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 Lee Center
- Taberg, NY5 mi
- Rome, NY7 mi
- Blossvale, NY10 mi
- Verona, NY12 mi
- Camden, NY13 mi
- Holland Patent, NY13 mi
- Oriskany, NY13 mi
- Boonville, NY15 mi
- Marcy, NY15 mi
- Vernon, NY16 mi
- Whitesboro, NY17 mi
- Sherrill, NY17 mi
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