Rockland County, New York severe weather history spans 319 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,669 nationally and #50 in New York.
319
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$7.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Rockland County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rockland County, New York severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 97 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 312 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rockland County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Rockland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 136 | 1 | $278K | 70 | 1965–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 81 | 1 | $7.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1985–2024 |
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $32K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $25K | F1 | 1990–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Rockland 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
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-10-18 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rockland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | NANUET | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $4.4M |
| Jan 9, 1997 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW CITY | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Apr 10, 2013 | Lightning | UPPER NYACK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2011 | Lightning | CENTRAL NYACK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2001 | Flash Flood | SUFFERN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2001 | Lightning | HAVERSTRAW | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding resulted in an estimated $3,126,485 in damages across Rockland County. This estimate is based on FEMA grant money awarded under the Individuals and Household Program (IHP), which includes funds for both housing assistance and other needs.
A National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Survey Team, in conjunction with the Rockland County Office of Fire and Emergency Services, conducted a storm survey of the damage around Stony Point New York. Based on the results of this survey and NWS Doppler Radar the following has been determined. The tornado originated in Harriman State Park west of the Palisades Interstate Parkway and Gate Hill Road, and ended near Wilderness Drive in Stony Point. Numerous trees were uprooted and down. The most severe damage is consistent with maximum wind speeds of around 100 MPH, |which indicates this was an EF-1 tornado. The tornado had a maximum path width of around 100 yards and was on the ground continuously for around one and one-half miles.
Periods of heavy rain resulted in the Pascack Brook overflowing its' banks around midnight and basement flooding in Stony Point around 1 am EDT on the 28th. At least 3 feet of water collected in a basement, which resulted in $25 thousand dollars in property damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
341,883
Population (ACS)
$597K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Oct 2, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rockland County, New York?
319 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $7.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rockland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 136 recorded events — 42.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rockland County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rockland County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rockland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rockland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockland County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rockland 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
- Richmond County 204
- St. Lawrence County 460
- Rensselaer County 804
- Saratoga County 1,125
- Queens County 385
- Schenectady County 423
Cite this page
“Rockland County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/rockland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.