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Rip Current Statement
Kings (Brooklyn); Southwest Suffolk; Southeast Suffolk; Southern Queens; Southern Nassau
Nassau County, New York severe weather history spans 582 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #635 nationally and #21 in New York.
582
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
60
Direct injuries
$24.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Nassau County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nassau County, New York severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 212 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 555 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nassau County, New York record is rip current, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $19.2M in reported property damage. In total, 13 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Nassau County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 246 | 0 | $3.2M | 87 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 169 | 0 | $19.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 81 | 0 | $115K | 3 | 1979–2023 |
| Lightning | 23 | 1 | $596K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2006 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $16K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $1.7M | F2 | 1970–2021 |
| Rip Current | 3 | 3 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Coastal Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Winter Weather | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1997 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| High Surf | 1 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Nassau 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
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-09-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-11-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nassau County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2001 | High Surf | PT LOOKOUT | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 12, 2002 | Rip Current | FREEPORT | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2002 | Rip Current | BILTMORE SHRS | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 12, 2000 | Lightning | OYSTER BAY COVE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2005 | Rip Current | LONG BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 16, 1997 | Strong Wind | EAST MEADOW | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 9, 1997 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2002 | Lightning | BETHPAGE | 0 | 14 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 44 year old male lost his life and two boys, aged 10 and 11, were injured in rough seas on South Oyster Bay. The three apparently dragged their boat ashore on Squaw Island (located just east of the Goose Creek Drawbridge on the Wantagh State Parkway-Jones Beach Causeway) and began to collect clams. But, as high tide came in, the additional wave action created by Northeast winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts near 30 knots, jarred the boat loose with the 10 year old boy aboard. The 44 year old male drowned, and the 11 year old boy was rescued by other boaters after attempting to swim after the drifting boat and 10 year old child. The 10 year old boy was rescued with the assistance of other boaters and the police Marine Bureau. Both boys were taken to a local hospital and treated for Hypothermia.
One fisherman was missing, and presumed dead, and another fisherman was rescued in the waters off Civic Beach after their 21 foot motorized fishing boat overturned in rough seas. A 27 year old male was presumed dead after a Coast Guard search was called off the next evening. A 40 year old male was rescued and treated for a fractured rib, ingested sea water, and hypothermia from the 57 degree water. Two rescuers also suffered minor injuries when a large wave crashed into their boat. Buoy 44025, located approximately 20 nautical miles south of Fire Island, measured east-northeast winds of 25 to 30 knots with gusts to around 35 knots and seas of 12 feet around the time of the incident. The Coast Guard reported that neither man was wearing a life jacket when the boat overturned.
Flash flooding resulted in an estimated $7,956,143 in damages across Nassau 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
1,389,591
Population (ACS)
$685K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORM 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 Nassau County, New York?
582 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $24.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nassau County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 246 recorded events — 42.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nassau County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nassau County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nassau County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nassau County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nassau County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nassau 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
- Montgomery County 528
- New York County 154
- Monroe County 532
- Niagara County 372
- Madison County 405
- Oneida County 1,085
Cite this page
“Nassau County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/nassau-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.