Rensselaer County, New York severe weather history spans 804 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #290 nationally and #10 in New York.
804
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
115
Direct injuries
$23.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Rensselaer County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rensselaer County, New York severe weather history averages 12.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 279 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 728 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rensselaer County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $10.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Rensselaer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 548 | 1 | $2.4M | 100 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 133 | 0 | $42K | 2.75 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 60 | 0 | $9.8M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $526K | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $253K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $10.7M | F2 | 1973–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Rensselaer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 68 | 30.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rensselaer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 16, 2002 | Hail | EAST GREENBUSH | 0 | 75 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2001 | High Wind | BRUNSWICK | 0 | 11 | $25K |
| Jul 8, 2004 | Lightning | WYNANTSKILL | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTH SCHODACK | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | WYNANTSKILL | 0 | 3 | $20K |
| Jun 22, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| May 31, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST SAND LAKE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Very heavy rainfall from training thunderstorms led to significant urban and small stream flash flooding in and near the City of Rensselaer. A State of Emergency was declared in the City of Rensselaer as numerous roads were closed, with 6 or more feet of standing water reported on city streets. Evacuations of 50 to 75 homes occurred due to the flooding. Flooding was mainly concentrated along and near the banks of Quackenberry Creek, as well as near Mill Creek.||The Amtrak Station in Rensselaer was also closed due to the flooding.||Flash flooding also closed Routes 9 and 20, a portion of Route 151, and Luther Road, in East Greenbush.
There was a significant amount of flood damage to the northern portion of the Town of Nassau. Several roads were closed, including Burden Lake Road and Nassau-Averill Park Road. Route 66 was closed due to debris over the road at Pike's Pond.
Several inches of moving water was reported flowing over Route 43 in several locations between West Sand Lake and Averill Park. Route 66 was washed out as well north of Averill Park. Several other roads were closed or washed out in the Town of Sand Lake, including Holcomb Road, Burden Lake Road, Old Best Road, and Taborton Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
160,332
Population (ACS)
$258K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 8, 2011 | Severe Storm | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rensselaer County, New York?
804 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $23.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rensselaer County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 548 recorded events — 68.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rensselaer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rensselaer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rensselaer County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rensselaer 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
- Queens County 385
- Richmond County 204
- Putnam County 239
- Rockland County 319
- Otsego County 664
- St. Lawrence County 460
Cite this page
“Rensselaer County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/rensselaer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.