Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Suffern, NY

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wanaque Raymond Dam, NJ, 10 miles southwest of Suffern at 245 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 48.5 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.6 of 48.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 42 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. That 48.5 inches is more than at 110 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (80%). Spring Valley, 4 miles east, has its own station (Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley, NY): 51.3 inches a year, 2.8 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 403 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Suffern: 208 thunderstorm wind reports, 115 flash floods, 59 floods and 21 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $46.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 19, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 39 of 115. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 671 have had fewer than Suffern.

Flood insurance policyholders in Suffern's ZIP code 10901 have filed 551 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 150 claims (27% of all) and $4.2 million, then Hurricane Floyd in 1999 with 123 and Not a named storm in 1980 with 41. 70% 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, 499 have fewer than Suffern.