Sullivan County, New York severe weather history spans 547 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #736 nationally and #24 in New York.
547
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$208.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Sullivan County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sullivan County, New York severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 167 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 518 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sullivan County, New York record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $175.6M 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 Sullivan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 326 | 0 | $1.7M | 90 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 119 | 0 | $61K | 2.5 | 1972–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 2 | $175.6M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $29.8M | F2 | 1961–2025 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $411K | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $310K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2018 |
Decade by decade
Sullivan 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: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-09-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sullivan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2010 | Flash Flood | ROCKLAND | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 27, 2006 | Flash Flood | NORTH PORTION | 1 | 0 | $100.0M |
| Aug 3, 1996 | Lightning | FALLSBURGH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | HIGHLAND LAKE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| May 10, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 16, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 9, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 22, 2013 | Hail | ROSCOE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous roads throughout the county, including Rockland. A vehicle fatality occurred at about 5:00 AM on the morning of October 1st in the Town of Neversink. The driver was traveling to work and was swept by floodwaters into Willowemoc Creek. The body of the 55 year old woman was found the next morning along the shore of the Neversink Reservoir.
Heavy rain caused flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded. Reports of power poles being washed out of the ground. One residence was undermined enough to partially collapse. Evacuations took place. Rainfall amounts were 1 to 4 inches.
Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused significant flash flooding. All roads in the towns of Colchester were closed, and a State of Emergency was declared. 15-20 residents were evacuated near County Highway 7. Serious damage occurred to a bridge on the highway. Portions of the road on Holiday and Berry Brook were completely washed out, and one rescue took place from a car. Flooding also occurred along Route 206 from Rockland to Route 30. Highway 17 west of Roscoe, Old Route 17 near Roscoe and Route 17 eastbound east of Roscoe were all closed due to washouts of portions of the highway. Water surrounded a home in Jeffersonville.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
79,721
Population (ACS)
$249K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sullivan County, New York?
547 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $208.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sullivan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 326 recorded events — 59.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sullivan County?
12 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 Sullivan County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sullivan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sullivan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sullivan County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sullivan 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
- Suffolk County 867
- Tioga County 418
- Steuben County 752
- Tompkins County 420
- Seneca County 209
- Ulster County 941
Cite this page
“Sullivan County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/sullivan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.