NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Panama, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Panama, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Panama
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Panama; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Panama begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 30 miles away. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Panama. The strongest of the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 31, 1985; its path passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 44, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Panama has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Panama.
Compare Panama's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Panama
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Panama: 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 Panama
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s10
- 2000s3
- 1990s4
- 1980s9(5 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | in town | 28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 9 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 15 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 8 mi | 29.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | in town | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 14, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 14 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1997 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Panama
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Panama since 1985, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 20, 2023, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Panama
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chandlers Valley 1SE, PA, 14 miles southeast of Panama at 1,490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 48.9 inches over 112 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 173 nights a year. Snowfall averages 115.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.9 inches is more than at 116 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (85%). Ashville, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Jamestown 4 ENE, NY): 46.0 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 3.7 | 10 | 31.4 |
| Feb | 34 | 12 | 2.5 | 9 | 26.5 |
| Mar | 43 | 20 | 3.4 | 9 | 12.7 |
| Apr | 57 | 30 | 4.2 | 10 | 6.7 |
| May | 68 | 40 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 49 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 53 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 52 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 46 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 4.3 | 11 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 47 | 28 | 4.0 | 10 | 9.7 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 4.0 | 11 | 28.0 |
| Year | 57 | 33 | 48.9 | 112 | 115.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chandlers Valley 1SE, PA (1,490 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 Panama
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Panama: 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $683,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on August 19, 2005. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 95 have had fewer than Panama.
May 21, 2014: flood 10 miles from the centre of Panama — $100,000 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
Chautauqua County, which includes Panama, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chautauqua County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $43.6 million a year, the 22nd highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.0 million (83%), 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 Panama
- Ashville, NY7 mi
- Clymer, NY8 mi
- Lakewood, NY10 mi
- Sugar Grove, PA10 mi
- Corry, PA11 mi
- Bemus Point, NY11 mi
- Mayville, NY13 mi
- Jamestown, NY14 mi
- Wattsburg, PA16 mi
- Youngsville, PA16 mi
- Ripley, NY17 mi
- Falconer, NY18 mi
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