NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Olean, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Olean, 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, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Olean
The strongest storm to pass near Olean was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Olean begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 62 miles away. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Olean. The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 20, 1969, came within 12 miles. Of the 23, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 809 New York cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Olean. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1982, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Olean.
Compare Olean's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Olean
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 27 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Olean: 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 Olean
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s6
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s5(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 12 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1961 | F3 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 7.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1968 | F2 | 11 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | EF1 | 14 mi | 2.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 2024 | EF1 | 14 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF1 | 4 mi | 7.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2009 | EF1 | 15 mi | 7.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2009 | EF1 | 18 mi | 12.88 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 Olean
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Olean since 1982, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently April 28, 2002. The most recent report is from June 26, 2023. June has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Olean
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Olean, NY, 1 mile west of Olean at 1,420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.8 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (23.2 of 40.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. Snowfall averages 64.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.8 inches is more than at 48 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (35%). Hinsdale, 9 miles north, has its own station (Franklinville, NY): 44.7 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 13 | 2.7 | 7 | 17.6 |
| Feb | 34 | 15 | 2.0 | 6 | 13.7 |
| Mar | 43 | 21 | 2.6 | 7 | 10.1 |
| Apr | 57 | 32 | 3.4 | 8 | 1.8 |
| May | 68 | 44 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 49 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 21 | 3.2 | 8 | 14.9 |
| Year | 57 | 36 | 40.8 | 93 | 64.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Olean, NY (1,420 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 Olean
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 124 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Olean: 94 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 8 floods and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on May 25, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 19. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 300 have had fewer than Olean.
March 15, 2007: flood in Olean — $100,000 damage.
December 1, 2010: flood in Olean — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “75 feet at 8:30PM EST December 2nd.”
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 Olean's ZIP code 14760 have filed 58 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $514,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 25 claims (43% of all) and $363,000. 43% 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, 308 have fewer than Olean.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 25 | $363,000 |
Cattaraugus County, which includes Olean, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 7 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cattaraugus County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.8 million a year, the 26th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $28.7 million (85%), 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.