Essex County, New York severe weather history spans 395 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,275 nationally and #37 in New York.
395
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$76.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Essex County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Essex County, New York severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 138 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 367 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $61.4M 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 Essex County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 221 | 0 | $3.0M | 78 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $36K | 3 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 59 | 0 | $61.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 23 | 0 | $12.0M | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2002–2020 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $50K | F2 | 1952–1978 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2001–2012 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Essex 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
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-10-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Essex County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2001 | Lightning | LAKE PLACID | 0 | 13 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tropical Storm Irene deposited 3 to 7+ inches of rainfall to Essex county during the morning and afternoon hours. The greatest rainfall amounts and impact were across central and northern Essex county along the eastern slopes of the Adirondacks. Severe flash flooding occurred within the Keene and AuSable River valleys with numerous roads (local and State including Route 3, 9N, 73, 28N), bridges, homes and businesses washed out in towns like Lake Placid, Jay, Keene, AuSable, Wilmington. Local EMs have determined this is the greatest natural disaster in the county.
Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Irene caused extensive flooding in the Ausable River basin. For the Ausable River at Ausable Forks, a new record crest was at at 18.43 feet at 22:30 EST August 29. Flood stage is 7.0 feet, and the previous record was 15.22 feet set on November 9 1996.
Runoff from heavy rain and snowmelt caused flooding along the East and West Branches of the Ausable River, as well as the upper reaches of the Boquet River. The West Branch of the Ausable flooded route 86 between Lake Placid and Wilmington Village, and portions of River Road in Lake Placid. The East Branch of the Ausable flooded Route 9N from Jay Village to Ausable Forks, Carey Road, Straight Road, Clark Road, and Stickney Bridge Road. In Ausable Forks village, water flooded the Grand Union parking lot, and approached Garso Lane. The river gage on the East Branch of the Ausable River at Ausable Forks went above its flood stage of 7 feet at 20:57 EST on April 26, and crested at 10.20 feet at 05:30 EST on April 27. The Boquet River flooded Route 9 near New Russia. There were also numerous road washouts from smaller creeks and streams across the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,973
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 29, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 22, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Essex County, New York?
395 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $76.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Essex County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 221 recorded events — 55.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Essex County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Essex County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Essex County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Essex County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Essex County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Essex 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
- Erie County 790
- Franklin County 322
- Dutchess County 955
- Fulton County 374
- Delaware County 548
- Genesee County 224
Cite this page
“Essex County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/essex-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.