NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Syracuse, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Syracuse, New York since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was David in 1979. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 22
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Syracuse
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Syracuse; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Syracuse begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was David in 1979, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Syracuse. The highest rating among the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 2, 1983, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on July 16, 2024, killed 1 person. Of the 22, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Syracuse. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 124 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Syracuse has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Syracuse's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Syracuse
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 4 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 Syracuse: 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 Syracuse
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s8
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 11 mi | 20 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.42 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2002 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1993 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1992 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1991 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1986 | F1 | 11 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 8, 1981 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1960 | F1 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2010 | EF0 | 21 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Syracuse
The Storm Prediction Center has 124 hail reports within 10 miles of Syracuse since 1958, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 23, 2004. The most recent report is from August 24, 2025. June has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Syracuse
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Syracuse Hancock International Airport, NY, 5 miles northeast of Syracuse at 413 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. July and October are the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.0 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 127.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.0 inches is more than at 43 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (31%). Marcellus, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Auburn, NY): 44.4 inches a year, 4.4 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.6 | 7 | 34.0 |
| Feb | 34 | 18 | 2.5 | 7 | 30.3 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 3.0 | 8 | 19.8 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.5 | 8 | 3.0 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 42 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 3.2 | 8 | 9.8 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 3.3 | 8 | 30.6 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 40.0 | 90 | 127.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, NY (413 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 Syracuse
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 247 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Syracuse: 211 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 7 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $28.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on September 12, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 27. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 429 have had fewer than Syracuse.
May 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Syracuse — 1 killed, 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
June 30, 2015: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Syracuse — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Severe urban flash flooding occurred in the City of Syracuse. A man was swept to his death after stepping into an open manhole on East Fayette Street.”
July 3, 1999: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Syracuse — 11 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous tents and booths were damaged or blown down at the county Fairgrounds during the "Taste of Syracuse" festival.”
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 Syracuse's 14 ZIP codes have filed 205 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1981, with 29. 11% 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, 443 have fewer than Syracuse.
Onondaga County, which includes Syracuse, 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.