NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Phoenix, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Phoenix, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Agnes in 1972. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 24
- 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 Phoenix
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Phoenix; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Phoenix begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Agnes in 1972, a tropical storm 38 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Phoenix. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 3 miles. Of the 24, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on July 10, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Phoenix. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Phoenix has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Phoenix's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Phoenix
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 19 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 Phoenix: 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 Phoenix
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s10
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 3 mi | 20 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | in town | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1969 | F3 | 8 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 7.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2002 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1991 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1986 | F1 | in town | 11 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1960 | F1 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1958 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2010 | EF0 | 9 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Phoenix
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Phoenix since 1969, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 24, 1992. The most recent report is from August 24, 2025. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Phoenix
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fulton, NY, 6 miles northwest of Phoenix at 360 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 14°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and March and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 113 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 159.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.8 inches is more than at 96 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (70%). Clay, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Syracuse Hancock International Airport, NY): 40.0 inches a year, 6.8 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 14 | 3.8 | 11 | 50.2 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 3.7 | 10 | 47.7 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 3.5 | 8 | 17.0 |
| Apr | 55 | 35 | 3.9 | 10 | 2.5 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 3.8 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 4.7 | 12 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 4.0 | 9 | 9.8 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 4.4 | 12 | 31.5 |
| Year | 57 | 38 | 46.8 | 113 | 159.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fulton, NY (360 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 Phoenix
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 185 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Phoenix: 166 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $107.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on August 16, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 14. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 212 have had fewer than Phoenix.
September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Phoenix — 3 killed, 7 injured, $90.0 million damage.
September 12, 2000: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Phoenix — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
April 26, 2011: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Phoenix — $9.0 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
Oswego County, which includes Phoenix, 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.