Tornadoes in the
U.S. state of
New York are relatively rare, with roughly 10 tornadoes touching down every year since 1900, the year with the first ever recorded event in the state.[1]
New York is located on the
East Coast, which brings in cold air from the
Atlantic Ocean. Warm air from the South can mix with this cold air, creating prime conditions for tornadic activity. This mainly happens in the months of
March and
April, but can happen in the later months, like
November.
Climate change is making tornadoes more common in New Yorrk due to the warm and cold air pushing more into the region that the state is located in.[2]
Events
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
1
0
0+
0
1
0
0
Pre-1950
August 7, 1900 – A strong FU tornado struck areas around
New Rochelle, snapping trees and destroying multiple well-built structures. The tornado was estimated to have caused $15,000 (1900
USD) in damages, and had an unknown amount of fatalities or injuries.[1] This is one of the first recorded tornadoes to hit New York.
July 16, 1904 – A large F3 tornado tracked through
Westchester County, killing 2 people and injuring a further 6. Multiple structures were completely wiped off of their foundations, and the tornado caused $100,000 (1904 USD) in damages in the town of
Chappaqua.[3]
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
1+
1+
2+
0
0
0
1950–1959
May 6, 1952 – A brief F2 tornado touched down near Lake Placid, damaging trees and other smaller structures.[4]
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
1
1+
1
0
0
0
1960–1969
May 9, 1961 – A strong F2 tornado hit
Liberty,[4] damaging multiple resorts and destroying various other structures, including a house. The tornado caused an estimated $2.5 million (1961 USD) in damages, and injured 3-4 people.[5]
May 31, 1985 – A large F4 tornado touched down in
Erie County in
Pennsylvania, before crossing the Pennsylvania-New York state line into Chautauqua County. Over 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and a dump truck was thrown over a mile away.[7] No injuries were reported, and most of the damage was centered in Pennsylvania.[7] A brief F3 tornado tracked through areas near
Jamestown, damaging and destroying various homes.[7] A brief F1 tornado touched down near
Norfolk, causing little damage to crops and trees.[7]
July 10, 1989 – A weak F1 tornado touched down outside of
Ogdensburg, causing minor damage and injuring one person.[8] A violent F4 tornado hit
Ames, destroying multiple homes and slabbing a poorly-built farmhouse.[8] Other smaller structures were also destroyed.[8] The tornado caused an estimated $20,000,000 (1989 USD) in damages.[9] A brief F2 tornado hit areas near
Carmel Hamlet, damaging condominiums and injuring 5 people.[8] Another brief but strong F2 tornado hit
Moriches, damaging a trailer and injuring a person who was sheltering inside.[8]
November 16, 1989 – A small and brief F0 tornado touched down near
Georgetown, causing little damage.[10] Another F0 tornado hit areas around
Peekskill, causing minor damage to crops. A relatively brief F1 tornado tracked through
Sullivan County, damaging trees and other small structures.[10] A weak but deadly F1 tornado hit
Orange County, killing 9 people and injuring another 18.[10] The event has been widely referred to as the "East Coldenham Elementary School disaster", as all 9 fatalities occurred when a wall located in the cafeteria of the East Coldenham Elementary collapsed, killing 9 students who were eating lunch. The tornado has also been studied, and these studies have suggested that the tornado may have been a
downburst.[11] A brief F0 tornado hit
Long Lake, causing little to no damage.[10] 2 F1 tornadoes touched down in
Saratoga County, causing minor damage to trees. An F0 tornado hit
Buskirk, causing minor damage.[10]
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
3+
2+
4
5
3
0
0
1990-1999
June 2, 1998 – A strong multi-vortex F2 tornado tracked through
Wyoming County, destroying deveral buildings and damaging multiple aircraft, including a helicopter.[12] The tornado also uprooted trees and downed power lines.[12] A brief F1 tornado hit
Pitcher, damagiung the roof of a house before lifting.[13] Another F1 tornado tracked through areas east of Pitcher, uprooting and snapping hundreds of trees.[14]
May 31, 1998 – A strong F3 tornado tracked through
Saratoga and
Rensselaer counties, damaging an estimated 350 homes and injuring 68 people. The tornado caused $70 million (1998 USD) before crossing the New York-
Vermont state line, producing mainly F2 damage in
Bennington County in Vermont.
September 7, 1998 – A
derecho spawned an F2 tornado that hit
Lynbrook, injuring 6 people and causing an estimated $1 million (1998 USD) in damages.[15] 3 other smaller tornadoes were reported to have touched down, but none were confirmed.[16] An F1 tornado tracked through
Albany County, causing minor damage to structures and uprooting trees.[15] A brief F0 tornado touched down in the
Davenport area, causing $150,000 (1998 USD) in damages but injuring nobody.[15] An F1 tornado hit
Brocton, damaging a house and causing 2 injuries.[15] A long-tracked F3 tornado moved through
Tioga,
Broome and
Delaware counties, damaging multiple structures.[15] A TV station was heavily damaged, and multiple homes were destroyed. Multiple people were injured, and the tornado caused an estimated $2 million (1998 USD) in damages. 2 tornadoes, an F2 and an F0, moved through
Chenango County, uprooting trees and damaging barns.[15] An F2 tornado tracked through portions of
Otsego County, inflicting minor damage to structures and uprooting trees.[15] A large multi-vortex F3 tornado hit
Silver Lake, destroying mobile homes and denuding trees.[15] 3 people were injured, and the tornado caused $800,000 (1998 USD) in damages. An F2 tornado tracked through
Rensselaer County, causing damage to trees and mobile homes before lifting.[15]
EFU
EF0
EF1
EF2
EF3
EF4
EF5
0
1+
0+
3
0
0
0
2000–2009
April 28, 2002 – A brief F0 tornado damaged multiple structures and homes near
Springville.[17] A strong F2 tornado moved through
Allegany County, destroying a house and damaging multiple barns.[18]
July 12, 2006 – A destructive and strong F2 tornado moved through
Rockland and
Westchester counties, destroying homes and barns. 6 people were injured, and the tornado caused an estimated $12.1 million (2006 USD) in damages.
August 8, 2007 – A strong F2 tornado tracked through
New York City, damaging thousands of structures from
Staten Island to
Brooklyn. 9 people were injured and the tornado was estimated to have caused $20 million (2007 USD) in damages.
EFU
EF0
EF1
EF2
EF3
EF4
EF5
0+
1+
8
2
0
0
0
2010–2019
July 25, 2010 – A rare EF1 tornado hit
The Bronx, damaging hundreds of buildings and uprooting trees.[19] 1 person was indirectly killed, and 7 were injured.[19] The tornado caused $150,000 (2010 USD) in damages, and was the second tornado ever recorded to hit The Bronx area.[19]
September 8, 2010 – A waterspout was observed off the coast of Queens, and it caused an unknown amount of damage. As it moved onshore, it developed into a high-end EF1 tornado, downing power lines and uprooting trees.[20]
September 16, 2010 – Two rare EF0 and EF1 tornadoes hit Brooklyn and
Queens, damaging hundreds of buildings and killing 1 person.[21] Many trees that were uprooted by the tornadoes landed on vehicles, indirectly injuring multiple people.[21]
April 27, 2011 – An EF1 tornado tracked through
Steuben County, damaging multiple homes and uprooting hundreds of trees.[22] An EF2 tornado touched down near
Erin, damaging multiple homes and destroying several small structures.[23] An EF1 tornado moved through
Tompkins County, destroying an outbuilding and damaging homes.[22] A strong EF2 tornado hit
Pharsalia, destroying a mobile home and downing hundreds of trees.[22] 2 EF1 tornadoes moved through
Chenango County, damaging several houses but injuring nobody.[22] An EF1 tornado hit
Frankfort, damaging small structures and downing power lines before lifting.[22]
EFU
EF0
EF1
EF2
EF3
EF4
EF5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2020–present
There have been an unknown amount of tornadoes in New York since 2020.