NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vestal, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Vestal, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was David in 1979. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 22
- 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 Vestal
The strongest storm to pass near Vestal was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Vestal begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was David in 1979, a tropical storm 20 miles away. The 1870s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 9 systems has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Vestal. The highest rating among the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 22, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on February 28, 2024. Of the 809 New York cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Vestal. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 164 times since 1969, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Vestal has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 809 New York cities.
Compare Vestal's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vestal
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 51 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 59 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 Vestal: 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 Vestal
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6
- 2000s6
- 1990s4(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | in town | 62 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 19, 1954 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2012 | EF1 | 21 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2010 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2002 | F1 | 7 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 3, 1992 | F1 | 3 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 14, 1992 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1988 | F1 | 6 mi | 11.6 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 Vestal
The Storm Prediction Center has 164 hail reports within 10 miles of Vestal since 1969, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 86 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 1, 2022. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vestal
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Binghamton, NY, 9 miles north of Vestal at 1,606 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 42.1 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 86.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.1 inches is more than at 58 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (42%). Hallstead, PA, 16 miles southeast, has its own station (Montrose, PA): 46.7 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 2.6 | 6 | 20.6 |
| Feb | 32 | 17 | 2.4 | 6 | 19.7 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 3.1 | 7 | 16.4 |
| Apr | 54 | 35 | 3.6 | 8 | 3.8 |
| May | 66 | 46 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 74 | 55 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 59 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 58 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 51 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 41 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Nov | 45 | 31 | 3.1 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Dec | 34 | 22 | 3.1 | 7 | 18.1 |
| Year | 55 | 38 | 42.1 | 87 | 86.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Binghamton, NY (1,606 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 Vestal
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 437 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vestal: 312 thunderstorm wind reports, 94 flash floods, 21 floods, 7 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $450.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 9, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 34 of 94. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 642 have had fewer than Vestal.
June 7, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Vestal — 2 injured, $22,000 damage.
September 7, 2011: flood 6 miles from the centre of Vestal — $170.0 million damage.
September 7, 2011: flood 2 miles from the centre of Vestal — $160.0 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Vestal's ZIP code 13850 have filed 489 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $24.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011: 269 claims (55% of all) and $19.7 million, then Torrential rain in 2005 with 25 and Flooding in 1996 with 11. 64% 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, 492 have fewer than Vestal.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Lee2011 | 269 | $19.7 million |
| Torrential rain2005 | 25 | $419,000 |
| Flooding1996 | 11 | $107,000 |
Broome County, which includes Vestal, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 8 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, on September 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Broome County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.1 million a year, the 17th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $48.8 million (81%), 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.