Bronx County, New York severe weather history spans 151 recorded events between 1983 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 39.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,703 nationally and #62 in New York.
151
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$60.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Bronx County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bronx County, New York severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 54 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 144 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bronx County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $60.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bronx County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 60 | 0 | $60.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 42 | 2 | $260K | 70 | 1983–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $15K | 1.75 | 1986–2022 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $150K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $150K | EF1 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Bronx County, New York severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 7 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bronx County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2021 | Lightning | WAKEFIELD | 1 | 6 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRONX | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | PELHAM BAY PARK | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2010 | Tornado | SPUYTEN DUYVIL | 0 | 7 | $150K |
| Aug 31, 2014 | Lightning | NEW YORK NORTHERN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | Lightning | FORDHAM | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2006 | Lightning | BRONX | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 6, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRONX | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down on the grounds of the Hebrew Home for the Aged along the east bank of the Hudson River west of Palisade Avenue in Riverdale. High winds flattened a flag pole, downed trees and snapped and sheared off many tree tops. A few trees crashed through first floor windows that caused them to shatter resulting in 7 minor injuries. On the south side of the building, large trees were totally stripped of their canopies and one became a projectile as it was wedged between an upstream tree. An eyewitness account at this location stated that he saw funnel clouds develop upstream over the Hudson as the thunderstorm approached.||Several eyewitnesses along the southeast path of this storm stated that they saw clouds and debris swirl in white out conditions as many tree tops were snapped and sheared off. Significant damage occurred along West 254th Street northwest across Netherlands and Arlington Streets, where at least one residential roof was damaged west of 254th Street.
Hail up to golf ball in size pelted portions of Locust Point, Silver Beach and Fort Schuyler. The hail accumulated up to one inch in depth in places, caused damage to the siding on the Locust Point Civic Association Clubhouse, put dents in multiple cars, and destroyed numerous flower and vegetable gardens.
The Bronx River at the New York Botanical Garden rose above its minor flood stage of 3.0 feet at 10:15pm EDT. It then continued to quickly rise, surpassing moderate flood stage (3.5 feet) at 10:45pm EDT and major flood stage (4.0 feet) at 11:30pm EDT. The river ultimately crested at a height of 5.59 feet at 8:45am EDT on September 2nd. It eventually fell back below minor flood stage at 9:30pm EDT on September 2nd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,404,779
Population (ACS)
$530K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Sep 2, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HENRI | EM |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 30, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bronx County, New York?
151 events are on record between 1983 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $60.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bronx County?
Flash Flood, with 60 recorded events — 39.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bronx County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bronx County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bronx County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bronx County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bronx County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bronx County, New York severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Allegany County 451
- Broome County 1,069
- Albany County 928
- Cattaraugus County 684
- Cayuga County 526
- Chautauqua County 785
Cite this page
“Bronx County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/bronx-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.