NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Little Falls, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Little Falls, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Little Falls
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Little Falls; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Little Falls begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 52 miles away. The 1870s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Little Falls. The strongest of the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 10, 1989; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 18, 1970, killed 1 person. Of the 23, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Little Falls. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1986, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Little Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 809 New York cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Little Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Little Falls: 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 Little Falls
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s7
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1989 | F4 | 22 mi | 42 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 18, 1970 | F1 | 11 mi | 2.3 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 2017 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 15 mi | 2.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2002 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1992 | F1 | 19 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1990 | F1 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 23, 1986 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 27, 1978 | F1 | 18 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Little Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Little Falls since 1986, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 28 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 May 24, 2004. The most recent report is from August 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Little Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cooperstown, NY, 24 miles south of Little Falls at 1,257 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 73°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 14°F. October is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 101 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 155 nights a year. Snowfall averages 85.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.6 inches is more than at 106 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (77%). Herkimer, 7 miles west, has its own station (Utica Oneida Co Airport, NY): 44.2 inches a year, 3.4 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 73°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 14 | 3.1 | 8 | 21.7 |
| Feb | 26 | 14 | 3.1 | 7 | 18.8 |
| Mar | 35 | 22 | 3.6 | 8 | 17.6 |
| Apr | 48 | 34 | 4.2 | 9 | 2.8 |
| May | 60 | 45 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 68 | 54 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 73 | 59 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 71 | 57 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 64 | 50 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 52 | 39 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 39 | 30 | 3.2 | 8 | 5.9 |
| Dec | 29 | 21 | 3.6 | 9 | 18.2 |
| Year | 49 | 37 | 47.6 | 101 | 85.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cooperstown, NY (1,257 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 Little Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 351 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Little Falls: 249 thunderstorm wind reports, 57 flash floods, 41 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 3, 2014. June has had the most flash floods, 20 of 57. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 564 have had fewer than Little Falls.
February 22, 1997: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Little Falls — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
July 1, 2017: flood 8 miles from the centre of Little Falls — $500,000 damage.
November 1, 2019: flood 8 miles from the centre of Little Falls — $380,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Little Falls's ZIP code 13365 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $969,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2019, with 11. 10% 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, 184 have fewer than Little Falls.
Herkimer County, which includes Little Falls, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Herkimer County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.4 million a year, the 42nd highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.3 million (86%), 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 Little Falls
- Dolgeville, NY7 mi
- Herkimer, NY7 mi
- Mohawk, NY8 mi
- St Johnsville, NY10 mi
- Newport, NY11 mi
- Ilion, NY12 mi
- Fort Plain, NY13 mi
- Frankfort, NY13 mi
- Richfield Springs, NY16 mi
- Canajoharie, NY19 mi
- Utica, NY19 mi
- Cherry Valley, NY20 mi
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