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Onondaga County, New York severe weather history spans 760 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #328 nationally and #14 in New York.
760
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$137.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Onondaga County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Onondaga County, New York severe weather history averages 11.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 220 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 79 events fall before 1990 and 681 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Onondaga County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $95.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Onondaga County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 454 | 5 | $95.1M | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 203 | 0 | $135K | 3 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 2 | $36.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 20 | 1 | $342K | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $5.3M | F3 | 1963–2006 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $24K | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2010 |
Decade by decade
Onondaga 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
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Onondaga County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | BALDWINSVILLE | 3 | 7 | $90.0M |
| May 29, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | CICERO | 1 | 1 | $40K |
| Jul 1, 2015 | Flash Flood | COLEVILLE | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Aug 27, 2004 | Lightning | SYRACUSE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | OTISCO | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Aug 24, 1998 | Flash Flood | MANLIUS | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 4, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | SYRACUSE | 0 | 11 | $500K |
| Aug 8, 1996 | Lightning | MANLIUS | 0 | 5 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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. Heavy rainfall caused the manhole cover to be blown off by excessive water pressure in the storm sewer system.
A line of thunderstorms became severe as it crossed northern sections of the county close to 1:30 pm EDT. Numerous trees and wires were downed across northern and eastern sections of the Syracuse metropolitan area. One man in Cicero was injured when he was shocked from falling wires. In Syracuse, another man was struck and killed by a large tree limb on the corner of Congress and Holland Streets.
As a severe thunderstorm moved through the region early in the evening, it dumped torrential rains. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches were observed in less than 30 minutes. This caused the Limestone Creek to quickly rise out of its banks. A four year old girl was out playing by the creek near her backyard when waters rapidly rose. She was caught in the rushing water and found downstream later that evening. Unfortunately, she did not survive the ordeal. Some minor damage was also incurred to portions of other properties from the force of the water. Later that evening, water levels receded about as quickly as they came up.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
471,129
Population (ACS)
$200K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM FRED | DR |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Jun 10, 2011 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 30, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Onondaga County, New York?
760 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 8 direct deaths and $137.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Onondaga County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 454 recorded events — 59.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Onondaga County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Onondaga County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Onondaga County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Onondaga County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Onondaga County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Onondaga 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
- Oneida County 1,085
- Ontario County 499
- Niagara County 372
- Orange County 746
- New York County 154
- Orleans County 174
Cite this page
“Onondaga County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/onondaga-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.