Oswego County, New York severe weather history spans 571 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 72.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #662 nationally and #22 in New York.
571
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$11.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Oswego County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oswego County, New York severe weather history averages 8.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 204 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 517 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.4M 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 Oswego County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 416 | 0 | $5.4M | 68 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 86 | 0 | $866K | 2.5 | 1975–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $590K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 23 | 0 | $4.3M | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $713K | F3 | 1960–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Oswego 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: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-09-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-08-31 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oswego County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 1996 | Tornado | GRANBY | 0 | 3 | $35K |
| May 18, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Sep 12, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | PENNELLVILLE | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An isolated severe thunderstorm moved along the northeast portion of Oswego County. The initial damage from the storm, determined to be caused by strong thunderstorm winds, occurred in Texas where a large tree was blown onto a house. The resident there also reported golfball-size hail at the time. The thunderstorm then spawned a weak tornado which caused only tree damage for a path of 1 to 1.5 miles.
An isolated severe thunderstorm moved along the northeast portion of Oswego County. The initial damage from the storm, determined to be caused by strong thunderstorm winds, occurred in Texas where a large tree was blown onto a house. The resident there also reported golfball-size hail at the time. The thunderstorm then spawned a weak tornado which caused only tree damage for a path of 1 to 1.5 miles.
Severe thunderstorms crossed the area resulting in fallen trees and power lines, nearly continuous lightning and record rainfall. In Monroe County, traffic was disrupted by flash flooding caused by over two inches of rain in a very short time. Numerous power outages were also reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
117,953
Population (ACS)
$152K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 20, 2022 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Nov 14, 2017 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oswego County, New York?
571 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oswego County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 416 recorded events — 72.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oswego County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oswego County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oswego County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oswego County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oswego County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oswego 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
- Orleans County 174
- Otsego County 664
- Orange County 746
- Putnam County 239
- Ontario County 499
- Queens County 385
Cite this page
“Oswego County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/oswego-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.