NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rochester, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rochester, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 9
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Rochester
The strongest storm to pass near Rochester was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Rochester begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 15 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Rochester. The highest rating among the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 11, 2003, came within 18 miles. Of the 9, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 29, 2020. Of the 809 New York cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rochester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Rochester has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 809 New York cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rochester
Of the 9 tracks on the map, 4 were moving north as they passed Rochester, 4 northeast and 1 northwest. Hazel (1954), the strongest pass, was heading north; its centre passed 32 miles west of Rochester. None made landfall within 75 miles of Rochester; all 9 were hurricanes at their peak, 1 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 1 came near Rochester: 0.3 a decade, against 0.6 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 32 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 45 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 Rochester: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Rochester
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2003 | F1 | 18 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1980 | F1 | 23 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2020 | EF0 | 13 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2015 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2013 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2009 | EF0 | 11 mi | 1.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1979 | F0 | 5 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rochester
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Rochester since 1959, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 10, 1974. The most recent report is from November 3, 2025. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rochester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rochester Gtr International Airport, NY, 5 miles southwest of Rochester at 533 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 35.3 inches over 81 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 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 102.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.3 inches is more than at 14 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (10%). Scottsville, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Avon, NY): 33.7 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 2.6 | 7 | 27.4 |
| Feb | 35 | 20 | 2.1 | 6 | 23.1 |
| Mar | 44 | 27 | 2.5 | 6 | 17.9 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 3.0 | 7 | 3.0 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 54 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 43 | 3.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 34 | 2.8 | 6 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 39 | 25 | 2.7 | 8 | 22.3 |
| Year | 58 | 41 | 35.3 | 81 | 102.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rochester Gtr International Airport, NY (533 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 Rochester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 205 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rochester: 156 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 16 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $27.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on September 6, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 10 of 22. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 352 have had fewer than Rochester.
June 19, 2007: thunderstorm wind in Rochester — 1 killed, 1 injured, $55,000 damage.
July 31, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Rochester — 4 injured, $150,000 damage.
September 6, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Rochester — 1 injured, $22.0 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 Rochester's 16 ZIP codes have filed 476 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2017, with 68. 5% 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, 490 have fewer than Rochester.
Monroe County, which includes Rochester, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $141.0 million a year, the 9th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $102.6 million (73%), 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 Rochester
- East Rochester, NY8 mi
- Henrietta, NY9 mi
- Penfield, NY9 mi
- Pittsford, NY9 mi
- Webster, NY9 mi
- North Chili, NY10 mi
- West Henrietta, NY10 mi
- Spencerport, NY10 mi
- Fairport, NY11 mi
- Hilton, NY12 mi
- Scottsville, NY13 mi
- Rush, NY13 mi
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