Otsego County, New York severe weather history spans 664 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #450 nationally and #19 in New York.
664
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$125.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Otsego County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Otsego County, New York severe weather history averages 9.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 176 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 600 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Otsego County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $61.1M 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 Otsego County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 444 | 2 | $2.4M | 90 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 134 | 0 | $3K | 3 | 1990–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 0 | $61.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $4.1M | F3 | 1958–2011 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2001–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $58.0M | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Otsego 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Otsego County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COOPERSTOWN | 1 | 5 | $100K |
| Jun 17, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COOPERSTOWN | 0 | 10 | $125K |
| May 31, 1998 | Tornado | LAURENS | 0 | 3 | $800K |
| Jul 3, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | SCHENEVUS | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Jul 17, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAURENS | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| Aug 4, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | EDMESTON | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Jul 20, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorms moved across the county during the afternoon. Trees and wires were blown down in Cooperstown and Laurens between 4:30 and 4:35 pm EDT. Numerous trees and wires were also downed by the wind in Schenevus at 4:45 pm and Oneonta at 4:50 pm EDT. Transmission towers and large signs were also toppled in Oneonta. Numerous roads were blocked due to the downed trees and many of them were closed for several hours. In Oneonta, a 32 year old man was struck and killed by a large tree limb. Several additonal injuries were sustained from flying debris.
Major flooding occurred along the Susquehanna River near Unadilla, NY from September 7, 2011 to September 10, 2011. The river crested at 16.34 feet on September 8 at 9:15 PM. The hardest hit area was the village of Sidney, NY which incurred tens of millions of dollars in property damage.
Heavy rain with amounts of 3 to 4.5 inches in the southeast half of the county caused flash flooding. The rain which fell from the 16th to the 18th was due to the remnants of hurricane Ivan. A trailer park near Oneonta started experiencing severe flooding around 4:30 AM. County highway 5 flooded in the town of Otego. Several other roadways also had water on them. Several creeks and streams, including Schenevus Creek, went out of its banks.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
60,108
Population (ACS)
$179K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HENRI | EM |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Dec 19, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jul 8, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Otsego County, New York?
664 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $125.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Otsego County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 444 recorded events — 66.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Otsego County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Otsego County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Otsego County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Otsego County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Otsego County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Otsego 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
- Oswego County 571
- Putnam County 239
- Orleans County 174
- Queens County 385
- Orange County 746
- Rensselaer County 804
Cite this page
“Otsego County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/otsego-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.