NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sparrow Bush, 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
23 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sparrow Bush, New York since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Sparrow Bush
The strongest storm to pass near Sparrow Bush was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1878, whose centre came within 27 miles. The record near Sparrow Bush begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 2 miles away. Of the 23 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Sparrow Bush has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 51% of the 809 New York cities on this site. The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 16 miles. Of the 23, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 27, 2020. Of the 809 New York cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sparrow Bush. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1994, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sparrow Bush.
Compare Sparrow Bush's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sparrow Bush
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 55 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 27 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sparrow Bush: 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 Sparrow Bush
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 2000s5
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 14, 1988 | F3 | 12 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | EF2 | 13 mi | 25.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 1986 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 16, 1974 | F2 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1972 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 4.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2010 | EF1 | 21 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sparrow Bush
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Sparrow Bush since 1994, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently June 28, 2020. The most recent report is from April 22, 2023. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sparrow Bush
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Matamoras, PA, 3 miles south of Sparrow Bush at 459 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.2 of 47.3 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 23 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal August there has highs of 81°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 40.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.3 inches is more than at 105 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (77%). Matamoras, PA, 4 miles south, has its own station (Port Jervis, NY): 47.2 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 16 | 3.1 | 7 | 11.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 2.9 | 5 | 9.7 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 | 3.9 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 59 | 34 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.9 |
| May | 70 | 45 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 55 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 57 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 29 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 4.0 | 7 | 10.0 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 47.3 | 82 | 40.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Matamoras, PA (459 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 Sparrow Bush
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sparrow Bush: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on February 25, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 145 have had fewer than Sparrow Bush.
June 2, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Sparrow Bush — 4 injured.
June 16, 2007: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Sparrow Bush — 4 injured.
September 8, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Sparrow Bush — $6.3 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
Orange County, which includes Sparrow Bush, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 22, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Orange County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $98.7 million a year, the 11th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.2 million (64%), 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.