NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Worcester, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Worcester, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 18
- 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 Worcester
The strongest storm to pass near Worcester was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Worcester begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 33 miles away. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Worcester. The strongest of the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 10, 1989; its path came within 17 miles. Of the 18, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2020. Of the 809 New York cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Worcester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 2000, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 809 New York cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Worcester.
Compare Worcester's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Worcester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 34 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Worcester: 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 Worcester
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1989 | F4 | 17 mi | 42 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 11 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 1, 1986 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1976 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2013 | EF1 | 9 mi | 1.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1998 | F1 | 4 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1992 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1992 | F1 | 15 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 1985 | F1 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2020 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2011 | EF0 | 25 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2002 | F0 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Worcester
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Worcester since 2000, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 23, 2012. The most recent report is from July 2, 2021. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Worcester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cooperstown, NY, 13 miles northwest of Worcester at 1,257 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 73°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 14°F. October is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 101 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 47.6 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 155 nights a year. Snowfall averages 85.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.6 inches is more than at 106 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (77%). Richmondville, 8 miles east, has its own station (Cobleskill 2 ESE, NY): 41.0 inches a year, 6.6 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 73°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 14 | 3.1 | 8 | 21.7 |
| Feb | 26 | 14 | 3.1 | 7 | 18.8 |
| Mar | 35 | 22 | 3.6 | 8 | 17.6 |
| Apr | 48 | 34 | 4.2 | 9 | 2.8 |
| May | 60 | 45 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 68 | 54 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 73 | 59 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 71 | 57 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 64 | 50 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 52 | 39 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 39 | 30 | 3.2 | 8 | 5.9 |
| Dec | 29 | 21 | 3.6 | 9 | 18.2 |
| Year | 49 | 37 | 47.6 | 101 | 85.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cooperstown, NY (1,257 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 Worcester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Worcester: 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $422,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 12, 2017. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Worcester.
July 3, 1997: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Worcester — 5 injured, $100,000 damage.
July 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Worcester — 1 injured, $2,500 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree onto a vehicle, injuring the driver.”
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
Otsego County, which includes Worcester, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Otsego County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.5 million a year, the 30th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.3 million (77%), 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 Worcester
- Richmondville, NY8 mi
- Cherry Valley, NY11 mi
- Cooperstown, NY12 mi
- Cobleskill, NY12 mi
- Sharon Springs, NY13 mi
- Stamford, NY15 mi
- Oneonta, NY19 mi
- Canajoharie, NY19 mi
- Middleburgh, NY21 mi
- Richfield Springs, NY22 mi
- Schoharie, NY22 mi
- Fort Plain, NY23 mi
All New York cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Worcester with another place →