Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Riverhead, NY

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Riverhead Rsch Farm, NY, 4 miles northwest of Riverhead at 100 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 26°F. March is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (23.2 of 47.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 63 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (25); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 85 nights a year. That 47.3 inches is more than at 104 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (76%). Calverton, 5 miles west, has its own station (Baiting Hollow, NY): 48.6 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Riverhead: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 8, 2008. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 12. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 180 have had fewer than Riverhead.

Flood insurance policyholders in Riverhead's ZIP code 11901 have filed 510 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $9.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Sandy in 2012: 157 claims (31% of all) and $6.3 million, then December Storm - Nor'easter in 1992 with 100 and Flooding in 1984 with 54. 81% 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, 495 have fewer than Riverhead.