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Rip Current Statement
Kings (Brooklyn); Southwest Suffolk; Southeast Suffolk; Southern Queens; Southern Nassau
Suffolk County, New York severe weather history spans 867 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #227 nationally and #8 in New York.
867
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
54
Direct injuries
$57.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Suffolk County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Suffolk County, New York severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 340 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 838 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Suffolk County, New York record is rip current, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $50.1M in reported property damage. In total, 12 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Suffolk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 398 | 1 | $1.1M | 83 | 1974–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 234 | 0 | $50.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 107 | 0 | $500 | 2.5 | 1984–2024 |
| Lightning | 36 | 1 | $1.7M | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Tornado | 32 | 0 | $4.3M | F2 | 1958–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 28 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Winter Weather | 3 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1997 |
| Rip Current | 3 | 4 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2004 |
| Coastal Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Suffolk 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
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-08-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-11-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Suffolk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2002 | Rip Current | MONTAUK | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 22, 1997 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 24 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST BABYLON | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 31, 1996 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2018 | Lightning | SAN REMO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2004 | Rip Current | EAST QUOGUE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | Rip Current | BAYPORT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | BABYLON | 0 | 5 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A persistent south to southwest wind helped to generate rough seas on the ocean on Tuesday the 20th. These rough seas acted to help produce rip currents along the South Shore of Long Island. A 12-year old boy swimming in the surf at Dolphin Beach in East Quogue was caught in a rip current Tuesday evening. The boy was not able to swim out of it…and unfortunately he drowned. His brother was swimming in the general area as well…and was rescued.
The Sagtikos Parkway southbound was closed at Exit S2, Crooked Hill Rd., in Brentwood due to flooding. Storm total rainfall amounts reported in Suffolk County ranged from 0.14 inches in Montauk to 13.27 inches at Islip/MacArthur Airport with a 24 hour rainfall record of 13.78 inches at MacArthur Airport which broke the New York State record. Damage amounts are validated costs of damage assessment inspections of municipal property, $11.7 million, and $23.5 million for small business administration loans as a result of the FEMA private property and business damage assessment. This information was provided by the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management.
Flash flooding resulted in an estimated $3,234,712 in damages across Suffolk 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.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,530,146
Population (ACS)
$578K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 25, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | EM |
| Mar 15, 2023 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Suffolk County, New York?
867 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $57.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Suffolk County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 398 recorded events — 45.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Suffolk County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Suffolk County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Suffolk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Suffolk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Suffolk County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Suffolk 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
- Steuben County 752
- Sullivan County 547
- Seneca County 209
- Tioga County 418
- Schuyler County 199
- Tompkins County 420
Cite this page
“Suffolk County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/suffolk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.