NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Paltz, 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
28 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Paltz, New York since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 24
- Tornadoes
- 30
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for New Paltz
The strongest storm to pass near New Paltz was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 30 miles. The record near New Paltz begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 21 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 4 systems. Of the 28 systems, 2 have come since 2000. New Paltz has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 60% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 18, 2000, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on November 16, 1989, killed 9 people. Of the 30, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2024. New Paltz has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). New Paltz has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare New Paltz's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Paltz
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 61 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 59 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 30 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 32 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Paltz: 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 New Paltz
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s3
- 2000s5
- 1990s5
- 1980s6
- 1970s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2000 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 1986 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 19 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 1989 | F1 | 16 mi | 9.1 mi | 9 / 18 |
| Jul 13, 2022 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2021 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF1 | 23 mi | 4.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2017 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2006 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 2003 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Paltz
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of New Paltz since 1975, made on 35 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 7 days, most recently June 29, 2020. The most recent report is from June 29, 2020. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Paltz
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mohonk Lake, NY, 3 miles west of New Paltz at 1,245 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. September and October are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 52.6 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (28.5 of 52.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 28 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 5.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. Snowfall averages 59.2 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 52.6 inches is more than at 130 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (95%). Highland, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Poughkeepsie, NY): 47.1 inches a year, 5.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Turkey Point Hudson River NERRS, NY, 20 miles northeast, averaged 79°F in July and 35°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 3.8 | 6 | 14.6 | 35 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 3.2 | 6 | 14.6 | 35 |
| Mar | 46 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 12.4 | 40 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.8 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 | 62 |
| Jun | 78 | 59 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 | 79 |
| Aug | 80 | 63 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 | 77 |
| Sep | 73 | 56 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Oct | 61 | 45 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.1 | 62 |
| Nov | 49 | 35 | 3.8 | 6 | 2.8 | 49 |
| Dec | 38 | 26 | 4.8 | 8 | 12.9 | 38 |
| Year | 59 | 42 | 52.6 | 85 | 59.2 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mohonk Lake, NY (1,245 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Turkey Point Hudson River NERRS, NY, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 New Paltz
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 334 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Paltz: 268 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 floods, 16 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $9.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 145 mph, on May 18, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 247 have had fewer than New Paltz.
August 12, 2016: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of New Paltz — 2 killed, 3 injured.
July 3, 2009: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of New Paltz — 1 killed.
June 14, 2008: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of New Paltz — 4 injured.
NWS: “Three hikers and a baby were slightly injured by a nearby lightning strike while sitting on a bench at the Mohonk Mountain House near New Paltz. The group were walking on a trail when the thunderstorm started.”
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 New Paltz's ZIP code 12561 have filed 88 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 48 claims (55% of all) and $1.9 million, then April 2007 Nor'easter in 2007 with 13 and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 with 10. 91% 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, 363 have fewer than New Paltz.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 48 | $1.9 million |
| April 2007 Nor'easter2007 | 13 | $469,000 |
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 10 | $85,000 |
Ulster County, which includes New Paltz, has been named in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 9 hurricanes, 7 floods, 5 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on September 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ulster County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $67.2 million a year, the 14th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $45.5 million (68%), 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.