Saratoga County, New York severe weather history spans 1,125 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #95 nationally and #1 in New York.
1,125
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
88
Direct injuries
$72.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Saratoga County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Saratoga County, New York severe weather history averages 17.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 357 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 107 events fall before 1990 and 1,018 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Saratoga County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $60.4M 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 Saratoga County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 758 | 1 | $9.5M | 98 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 205 | 0 | $233K | 2.75 | 1969–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 65 | 0 | $901K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 45 | 0 | $364K | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Lightning | 29 | 1 | $694K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $60.4M | F3 | 1974–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2001–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2023 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Saratoga 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
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 3 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 | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 49.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-06-24 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-29 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-08-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Saratoga County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | USHERS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2007 | Lightning | WATERFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 31, 1998 | Tornado | USHERS | 0 | 68 | $60.0M |
| Dec 9, 1998 | Winter Weather | WILTON | 0 | 5 | $10K |
| Jul 19, 2008 | Lightning | BALLSTON SPA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 21, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BALLSTON SPA | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Sep 21, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | MECHANICVILLE | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| Aug 29, 2020 | Tornado | COONS | 0 | 1 | $35K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
26,1323EST- *,,1400EST,,,0,0,3,0,Urban Flood Northumberland,26,1330EST,,,0,2,0,0,Lightning Wilton,26,1335EST,,,0,0,0,0,Hail (1.75) Greenfield,26,1340EST,,,0,0,0,0,Hail (1.75) Greenfield Center,26,1340EST,,,0,0,5,0,Thunderstorm Winds N Portion,26,1358EST,,,0,0,6,0,Thunderstorm Winds
The melting of a deep snowpack led to moderate or higher river flooding across portions of the upper Hudson River basin, including the Great Sacandaga Lake, and the Hudson River between Schuylerville and Mechanicville.||Snow water equivalents of nearly one foot began to melt during a warm period beginning around April 10th, and led to river flooding which persisted through the end of April.||On the Hudson River near Schuylerville, a sod farm suffered estimated losses of $225,000 due to prolonged submersion of sod in Hudson River flood waters. In addition, the New York State Canal Corporation was unable to open the Hudson-Champlain Canal in April due to high water levels. Furthermore, the crest of the Great Sacandaga Lake level was a new record.
From January 8 through January 10, mild weather along with significant rain and snowmelt resulted in small stream flooding across Saratoga County. Many roads were closed throughout the county due to flooding and washouts. In the Towns of Milton and Malta, the Kayaderosseras, Mourningkill and Gordon Creeks flooded onto roadways. The Kayaderosseras Creek flooded parts of State Route 9 and the Creek-n-Pines trailer park. A two thousand foot section of Wilton Mountain Road was washed out. On Thursday January 8, State Route 9 in the Town of Wilton was flooded from Ballard Road to Ernst Road. Roads were also closed in the Towns of Northumberland and Moreau and in Clifton Park.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
238,284
Population (ACS)
$349K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Dec 19, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Saratoga County, New York?
1,125 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $72.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Saratoga County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 758 recorded events — 67.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Saratoga County?
16 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 Saratoga County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Saratoga County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Saratoga County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Saratoga County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Saratoga 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
- St. Lawrence County 460
- Schenectady County 423
- Rockland County 319
- Schoharie County 354
- Richmond County 204
- Schuyler County 199
Cite this page
“Saratoga County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/saratoga-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.