NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sound Beach, 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
54 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sound Beach, New York since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 42
- Tornadoes
- 28
- 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 Sound Beach
The strongest storm to pass near Sound Beach was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 3 hurricane with 119 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Sound Beach begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The 1860s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 54 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Sound Beach has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 8, 1999, came within 24 miles. Of the 28, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2022. Of the 809 New York cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sound Beach. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sound Beach.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sound Beach
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 58 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 10 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | overhead | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 13 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 40 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 35 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 4 mi | Category 3 (119 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 32 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 12 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 41 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 57 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 54 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 39 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sound Beach: 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 Sound Beach
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s8
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 1999 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 11 mi | 5.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2010 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 31, 2009 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2007 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1998 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1998 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 1992 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1991 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1981 | F1 | 21 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 1973 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 28, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sound Beach
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Sound Beach since 1970, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 4, 2015. The most recent report is from August 26, 2024. August has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sound Beach
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shirley Brookhaven Airport, NY, 11 miles southeast of Sound Beach at 82 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 24°F. March is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and August the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (21.5 of 44.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 54 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (22); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. That 44.3 inches is more than at 74 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (54%). Mount Sinai, 3 miles southwest, has its own station (Islip Li Macarthur Airport, NY): 46.1 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Bridgeport, CT, 19 miles northwest, averaged 76°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Bridgeport tide gauge, 19 miles from Sound Beach, has risen 1.35 ± 0.08 inches per decade from 1964 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 13.5 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 81 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 24 | 3.0 | 6 | 42 |
| Feb | 41 | 25 | 3.1 | 6 | 39 |
| Mar | 47 | 31 | 4.6 | 7 | 42 |
| Apr | 58 | 40 | 4.1 | 7 | 48 |
| May | 68 | 49 | 3.5 | 7 | 56 |
| Jun | 77 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 | 65 |
| Jul | 83 | 66 | 3.2 | 5 | 73 |
| Aug | 81 | 65 | 3.0 | 6 | 76 |
| Sep | 74 | 57 | 3.9 | 5 | 74 |
| Oct | 64 | 46 | 4.0 | 6 | 66 |
| Nov | 54 | 37 | 3.7 | 6 | 56 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 4.5 | 8 | 46 |
| Year | 61 | 44 | 44.3 | 75 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shirley Brookhaven Airport, NY (82 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Bridgeport, CT, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Sound Beach
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 118 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sound Beach: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $801,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 4, 2015. August has had the most flash floods, 24 of 32. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 471 have had fewer than Sound Beach.
July 19, 2013: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Sound Beach — 12 injured.
June 2, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Sound Beach — 1 injured.
July 26, 2012: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Sound Beach — 1 injured.
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
Suffolk County, which includes Sound Beach, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 hurricanes, 9 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on October 21, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Suffolk County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively High for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $320.5 million a year, the 3rd highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $193.3 million (60%), 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 Sound Beach
- Miller Place, NY1 mi
- Rocky Point, NY2 mi
- Mount Sinai, NY3 mi
- Shoreham, NY4 mi
- Port Jefferson, NY5 mi
- Middle Island, NY5 mi
- Port Jefferson Station, NY5 mi
- Coram, NY5 mi
- Ridge, NY6 mi
- Selden, NY7 mi
- Wading River, NY7 mi
- East Setauket, NY7 mi
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