Orange County, New York severe weather history spans 746 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #353 nationally and #16 in New York.
746
Recorded events
18
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$55.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Orange County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Orange County, New York severe weather history averages 10.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 208 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 691 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Orange County, New York record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.2M 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 Orange County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 438 | 5 | $3.1M | 106 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 121 | 1 | $16.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $750K | 2 | 1975–2023 |
| Lightning | 32 | 1 | $226K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 26 | 1 | $6.3M | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Tornado | 13 | 10 | $28.2M | F3 | 1969–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
Orange 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-07-14 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-11-16 | EF1 | 9 | 18 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-15 | EF0 | 1 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Orange County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 1989 | Tornado | 9 | 18 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 29, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 8 | $0 | |
| May 15, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEWBURGH | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Jul 28, 2006 | Lightning | MONTGOMERY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 25, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Middle Hope | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2023 | Flash Flood | HIGHLAND MILLS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2018 | Tornado | BALMVILLE | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Aug 28, 2011 | Flood | MONROE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Based on a National Weather Service damage survey done in|conjunction with the Newburgh Fire Department, it has been |determined that an EF0 tornado went through the Balmville |neighborhood of Newburgh. The tornado originated near Albany Post |Road, to the south of the intersection with Bennet Road. A tree fell on a moving car on Albany Post Rd, killing the woman inside. The |tornado lifted near the Hudson River behind the house at 56 Susan |Drive. The tornado sheared off trees around half way to the |ground, peeled the bark off of one tree, and caused localized |convergence of uprooted trees. It also caused leaves to be |plastered on three sides of houses in the Susan Drive area. Based |on this, the tornado was classified as an EF0 tornado with an |estimated maximum wind speed of around 75 mph.
Cardinal Dr. was closed at Peacock Circle in Washingtonville due to flooding. In Mt. Hope, Seybolt Ave. was washed out and two ft. of water infiltrated numerous homes in the Hidden Valley development off of Guymard Turnpike. Property damage amount is estimated. Total reported rainfall amounts in Orange County ranged from 4.56 inches in Port Jervis to 8.30 inches in Warwick.
The remnants of a tropical system combined with a stalled frontal boundary acted to ignite slow moving thunderstorms on the evening of August 30th. These thunderstorms moved over Western Orange County NY for several hours. Hourly radar rainfall estimates in the 3-5" range were observed at times. The hardest hit areas were Port Jervis and Deer Park, where flooding was severe enough to initiate states of emergencies. Houses were damaged, roads were destroyed, and buildings collapsed throughout Western Orange County. Damage estimates were 2.2 million in public and 1.8 million in private property.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
406,616
Population (ACS)
$388K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2024 | Fire | JENNINGS CREEK FIRE | FM |
| 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 |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Orange County, New York?
746 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 18 direct deaths and $55.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Orange County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 438 recorded events — 58.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Orange County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Orange County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Orange County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Orange County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orange County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Orange 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
- Ontario County 499
- Orleans County 174
- Onondaga County 760
- Oswego County 571
- Oneida County 1,085
- Otsego County 664
Cite this page
“Orange County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/orange-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.