Ulster County, New York severe weather history spans 941 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #176 nationally and #5 in New York.
941
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$17.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Ulster County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ulster County, New York severe weather history averages 14.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 272 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 878 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ulster County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $8.3M 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 Ulster County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 608 | 1 | $2.0M | 90 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 123 | 0 | $34K | 2 | 1975–2025 |
| Flood | 95 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 71 | 1 | $8.3M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Lightning | 24 | 1 | $676K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $3.2M | F2 | 1975–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2018 |
Decade by decade
Ulster 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
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-09-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-10-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 14.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ulster County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2009 | Lightning | HIGHLAND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 17, 2000 | Flash Flood | SHANDAKEN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 29, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELLENVILLE | 1 | 0 | $500 |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Lightning | BUTTERVILLE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 29, 2016 | Lightning | SAWKILL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2003 | Lightning | RIFTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 7, 1998 | Lightning | SAXTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall led to flooding of numerous creeks and streams throughout the county. The Verkeerderkill Creek exceeded bankful around 1655 EST on the 15th, flooding adjacent portions of Ulsterville Road in Walker Valley. Additional flooding was reported around 2313 LST near New Paltz, where several roads were closed due to high water, including Route 299 to Mountain Rest Road, and from Dug Road to Kleinkill Drive.|A state of emergency was declared by 0745 EST on the 16th due to the widespread flooding. Mandatory evacuations also occurred along the Esopus Creek in the town of Ulster around 1430 EST on the 16th.|
One lane of Route 214 was washed out near the Greene/Ulster County line, resulting in a road closure. A complete rebuild of the roadway was required. One lane of alternating traffic was opened on the 26th between Moggre Road in Ulster County and Saw Mill Road in Greene County.
Numerous roads were closed throughout Ulster County, some of which occurred in Marbletown, Kingston, Saugerties, Stone Ridge, Rosendale, Gardiner, Wawarsing and New Paltz. Basement flooding was also reported in Stone Ridge.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
182,601
Population (ACS)
$353K
Median home value
37
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 |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ulster County, New York?
941 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $17.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ulster County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 608 recorded events — 64.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ulster County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ulster County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ulster County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ulster County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ulster County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ulster 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
- Tompkins County 420
- Warren County 462
- Tioga County 418
- Washington County 773
- Sullivan County 547
- Wayne County 354
Cite this page
“Ulster County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/ulster-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.