NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Skaneateles, 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 Skaneateles, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Skaneateles
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Skaneateles; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Skaneateles begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Skaneateles. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 20 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on August 21, 2011. Of the 809 New York cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Skaneateles. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 809 New York cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Skaneateles.
Compare Skaneateles's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Skaneateles
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | overhead | 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 Skaneateles: 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 Skaneateles
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s5
- 1990s4
- 1980s3(2 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 20 mi | 20 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1969 | F3 | 17 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2011 | EF2 | 20 mi | 7.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2007 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2002 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1991 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1986 | F1 | 20 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 29, 2006 | F0 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 2004 | F0 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Skaneateles
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Skaneateles since 1973, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 22, 2004. The most recent report is from June 22, 2024. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Skaneateles
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Auburn, NY, 8 miles west of Skaneateles 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%). Moravia, 10 miles south, has its own station (Aurora Rsch Farm, NY): 37.1 inches a year, 7.3 less than here, and a July average high of 80°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 Skaneateles
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 142 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Skaneateles: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $6.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 13, 2022. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 23. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 370 have had fewer than Skaneateles.
July 3, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Skaneateles — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
July 1, 2017: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Skaneateles — $3.1 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread flash flooding of most creeks and urbanized areas occurred throughout the town of Skaneateles. Culverts and roads were washed out in several places.”
July 28, 2002: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Skaneateles — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms winds downed numerous trees and wires from Skaneateles through Marcellus, Marietta, and Amber to Otisco. The worst damage was in the village of Skaneateles.”
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 Skaneateles's ZIP code 13152 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $157,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 31% 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, 48 have fewer than Skaneateles.
Onondaga County, which includes Skaneateles, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, on October 8, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Onondaga County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $103.1 million a year, the 10th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $77.5 million (75%), 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.