NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montour 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Montour Falls, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Montour Falls
The strongest storm to pass near Montour Falls was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Montour Falls begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Montour Falls. The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on August 28, 1988, killed 1 person. Of the 23, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 2, 2014. Of the 809 New York cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Montour Falls. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Montour Falls.
Compare Montour Falls's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Montour Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 56 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Montour 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 Montour Falls
By decade
- 2010s9
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s3
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 30, 1955 | F3 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 14 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1990 | F2 | 10 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1988 | F1 | 10 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 1972 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Sep 2, 2014 | EF1 | 18 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 2014 | EF1 | 7 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 19 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 18 mi | 8.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.26 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 Montour Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Montour Falls since 1971, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 22, 2004. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montour Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mecklenburg 4SW, NY, 8 miles northeast of Montour Falls at 1,510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.0 inches over 88 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 156 nights a year. That 39.0 inches is more than at 36 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (26%). Beaver Dams, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Elmira Corning Regional Airport, NY): 32.4 inches a year, 6.6 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 14 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 33 | 15 | 2.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 40 | 21 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 53 | 32 | 3.3 | 8 |
| May | 67 | 43 | 3.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 74 | 52 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 79 | 56 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Aug | 77 | 55 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 71 | 48 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 4.1 | 10 |
| Nov | 46 | 30 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 35 | 21 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 39.0 | 88 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mecklenburg 4SW, NY (1,510 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 Montour Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 101 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montour Falls: 89 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 15, 2024. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 131 have had fewer than Montour Falls.
July 5, 2019: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Montour Falls — 2 injured.
NWS: “A thunderstorm caused a lightning strike to hit the Cayuga Loop campground, resulting in two minor injuries to campers.”
June 14, 2015: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Montour Falls — $2.6 million damage.
July 15, 2024: thunderstorm wind in Montour Falls — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms passed through the area with scattered damage on July 15. A focused microburst descended upon the northeast side of Montour Falls, heavily damaging or in many cases uprooting a grove of large trees up to 2 feet in diameter including sycamores.”
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
Schuyler County, which includes Montour Falls, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Schuyler County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.0 million a year, the 61st highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.5 million (75%), 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.