NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oswego, 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 Oswego, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Oswego
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oswego; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Oswego begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 63 miles away. 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 Oswego. The highest rating among the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 19 miles. Of the 19, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on July 10, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oswego. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oswego.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oswego
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 36 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 Oswego: 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 Oswego
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 1990s6
- 1980s5(2 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 19 mi | 20 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1969 | F3 | 17 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 7.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1986 | F1 | 9 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 28, 1983 | F1 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1960 | F1 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1958 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2010 | EF0 | 14 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 31, 1995 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oswego
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Oswego since 1975, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 18, 2017. The most recent report is from June 22, 2024. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oswego
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oswego, NY, 3 miles west of Oswego at 324 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 19°F. October is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 43.3 inches over 100 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 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 140.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.3 inches is more than at 64 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (47%). Fulton, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Fulton, NY): 46.8 inches a year, 3.5 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 19 | 3.8 | 10 | 44.7 |
| Feb | 33 | 20 | 2.9 | 8 | 35.3 |
| Mar | 41 | 27 | 3.0 | 8 | 17.1 |
| Apr | 53 | 37 | 3.5 | 9 | 2.8 |
| May | 66 | 48 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 57 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 63 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 62 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 55 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 45 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 35 | 4.1 | 10 | 9.4 |
| Dec | 37 | 26 | 3.9 | 10 | 30.6 |
| Year | 56 | 41 | 43.3 | 100 | 140.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oswego, NY (324 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 Oswego
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oswego: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 7 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on August 16, 2002. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 95 have had fewer than Oswego.
May 17, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Oswego — $1.5 million damage.
June 1, 2019: flood 8 miles from the centre of Oswego — $1.5 million damage.
July 1, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Oswego — $1.0 million 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 Oswego's ZIP code 13126 have filed 33 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $587,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 15% 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, 212 have fewer than Oswego.
Oswego County, which includes Oswego, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on October 21, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oswego County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.6 million a year, the 35th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.7 million (81%), 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 Oswego
- Fulton, NY10 mi
- Hannibal, NY10 mi
- Mexico, NY12 mi
- Sterling, NY12 mi
- Phoenix, NY17 mi
- Hastings, NY18 mi
- Pennellville, NY18 mi
- Parish, NY19 mi
- Pulaski, NY19 mi
- Red Creek, NY19 mi
- Cato, NY19 mi
- Central Square, NY19 mi
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