NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saranac, 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 Saranac, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Saranac
The strongest storm to pass near Saranac was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Saranac begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Saranac. The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on May 6, 1952; its path came within 17 miles. The most recent tornado was on June 10, 2025. Of the 809 New York cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saranac. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 11 times since 1994, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 809 New York cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saranac.
Compare Saranac's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saranac
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 48 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Saranac: 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 Saranac
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1980s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1952 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 1986 | F1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 1958 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2025 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saranac
The Storm Prediction Center has 11 hail reports within 10 miles of Saranac since 1994, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on July 4, 2012, the most recent report. July has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saranac
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dannemora, NY, 8 miles northeast of Saranac at 1,340 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 9°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 43.4 inches over 100 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 158 nights a year. That 43.4 inches is more than at 65 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (47%). Peru, 15 miles east, has its own station (Plattsburgh International Airport, NY): 30.9 inches a year, 12.5 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 9 | 2.9 | 8 |
| Feb | 31 | 11 | 2.3 | 7 |
| Mar | 40 | 20 | 2.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 53 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 75 | 54 | 4.9 | 10 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Sep | 71 | 50 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 4.7 | 10 |
| Nov | 44 | 28 | 2.9 | 8 |
| Dec | 33 | 16 | 2.9 | 8 |
| Year | 55 | 35 | 43.4 | 100 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dannemora, NY (1,340 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 Saranac
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saranac: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on July 21, 2010.
June 11, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of Saranac — $1.8 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding of the Saranac River and its tributaries caused the closure of over a dozen roads in Saranac, Riverview, and Redford due to inundation and washouts.”
July 9, 2023: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Saranac — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Two to four inches of rain fell during the evening hours on July 9. This led to areas of significant flash flooding, most notably in the towns of Saranac, Redford and Altona.”
October 15, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of Saranac — $150,000 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
Clinton County, which includes Saranac, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 22, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clinton 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. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.0 million a year, the 31st highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.9 million (78%), 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.