NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spencer, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Spencer, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 28
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Spencer
The strongest storm to pass near Spencer was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Spencer begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Spencer. The highest rating among the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on August 28, 1988, killed 1 person. Of the 28, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. May and August have had the most tornadoes, 7 each. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Spencer. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1990, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 809 New York cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Spencer.
Compare Spencer's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spencer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 72 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 39 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 Spencer: 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 Spencer
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s7
- 2000s4
- 1990s4(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s3
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 21 mi | 62 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 30, 1955 | F3 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1988 | F1 | 21 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 9.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2021 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 2, 2014 | EF1 | 9 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 11 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 17 mi | 8.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2011 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.39 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 Spencer
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Spencer since 1990, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 29, 2006. The most recent report is from June 16, 2022. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Spencer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ithaca Cornell Univ, NY, 15 miles north of Spencer at 960 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.3 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 58% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 38.3 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 62.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.3 inches is more than at 29 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (21%). Candor, 8 miles east, has its own station (Ithaca 13 E, NY): 41.6 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 2.2 | 6 | 16.6 |
| Feb | 33 | 15 | 2.0 | 5 | 14.5 |
| Mar | 41 | 22 | 2.8 | 7 | 12.0 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 3.4 | 8 | 2.8 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 58 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 49 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 39 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 2.9 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 2.6 | 6 | 12.2 |
| Year | 56 | 36 | 38.3 | 85 | 62.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ithaca Cornell Univ, NY (960 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 Spencer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Spencer: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $22.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 28, 2011. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 164 have had fewer than Spencer.
September 7, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Spencer — $20.0 million damage.
April 2, 2005: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Spencer — $500,000 damage.
June 14, 2015: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Spencer — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “Flood water was surrounding a house on Hurlbert Hollow Road. Water was also flowing across County Routes 96 and 34.”
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 Spencer's ZIP code 14883 have filed 53 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $869,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011: 17 claims (32% of all) and $515,000. 47% 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, 290 have fewer than Spencer.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 17 | $515,000 |
Tioga County, which includes Spencer, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, on October 8, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tioga County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 45th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.5 million (88%), 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 Spencer
- Candor, NY8 mi
- Erin, NY10 mi
- Newfield, NY10 mi
- Brooktondale, NY11 mi
- Barton, NY13 mi
- Owego, NY14 mi
- Waverly, NY15 mi
- Ithaca, NY15 mi
- Newark Valley, NY16 mi
- Nichols, NY16 mi
- Sayre, PA17 mi
- Horseheads, NY18 mi
All New York cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Spencer with another place →