NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Savannah, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Savannah, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Savannah
The strongest storm to pass near Savannah was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Savannah begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 52 miles away. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Savannah. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 8 miles. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 7, 2025. Of the 809 New York cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Savannah. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Savannah.
Compare Savannah's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Savannah
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 73 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 21 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 Savannah: 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 Savannah
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1980s5(2 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 8 mi | 20 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1969 | F3 | 7 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2011 | EF2 | 1 mi | 7.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2002 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 20, 1994 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1991 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1986 | F1 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1980 | F1 | 13 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2006 | F0 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Savannah
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Savannah since 1955, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 16, 2022, the most recent report. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Savannah
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Auburn, NY, 16 miles southeast of Savannah at 770 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 15°F. October is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 103 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 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 109.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.4 inches is more than at 77 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (56%). Clyde, 6 miles west, has its own station (Sodus 1W, NY): 40.0 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 2.9 | 9 | 29.1 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 2.5 | 7 | 25.9 |
| Mar | 42 | 23 | 3.2 | 7 | 17.2 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.7 | 10 | 3.1 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 4.5 | 11 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 3.6 | 9 | 8.8 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 3.6 | 10 | 24.7 |
| Year | 57 | 38 | 44.4 | 103 | 109.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Auburn, NY (770 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 Savannah
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Savannah: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $21.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 67 mph, on June 1, 2018.
September 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Savannah — 3 injured, $20.0 million damage.
May 15, 2020: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Savannah — 1 injured, $50,000 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
Wayne County, which includes Savannah, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.0 million a year, the 49th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.5 million (76%), 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 Savannah
- Port Byron, NY6 mi
- Clyde, NY6 mi
- Red Creek, NY10 mi
- Wolcott, NY10 mi
- North Rose, NY10 mi
- Weedsport, NY11 mi
- Cato, NY11 mi
- Lyons, NY12 mi
- Seneca Falls, NY12 mi
- Cayuga, NY13 mi
- Jordan, NY14 mi
- Waterloo, NY14 mi
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