Hempstead

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Nassau County, the county that contains Hempstead.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Nassau County, the county that contains Hempstead.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Tide gauges in Nassau County.

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Nassau County, the county that contains Hempstead.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

Tsunami records for Nassau County.

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Nassau County.

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 14, 2005Flash Flood$11.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Periods of heavy rain continued throughout the day. Bands of torrential rain produced widespread and significant flash flooding of low lying and poor drainage areas, including streets, basements, roofs, and ceilings, as well as small creeks throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Trained spotters reported up to 6 feet of water in basements throughout Massapequa. They reported serious flooding along Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, where cars were submerged, and the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. Several trees and power poles were leaning from soggy ground. Preliminary damage cost estimates were $22 million for Long Island.

2. Sep 1, 2021Flash Flood$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding resulted in an estimated $7,956,143 in damages across Nassau County. This estimate is based on FEMA grant money awarded under the Individuals and Household Program (IHP), which includes funds for both housing assistance and other needs.

3. Oct 19, 1996Coastal Flood, Nassau$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   On Friday October 18th, a strong low pressure system developed on a cold front over the DelMarVa Peninsula. With a high pressure system in place across Northern New England, the low intensified and moved slowly off the Southern New Jersey Coast on Saturday, the 19th.East winds developed across the region during the 18th. As the difference in pressure systems increased, east winds also increased. Over the sea, sustained wind speeds reached gale force (34 knots) Friday night and continued through Saturday. Strong east winds blowing over a long distance caused tides to average 3 to 6 feet above normal. Tide anomalies were 5.49 feet above normal at Willets Point at 5 pm and 3.62 feet…

4. Sep 7, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense line of severe thunderstorms oriented from north to south developed during Labor Day afternoon ahead of a strong approaching cold front. As the storms moved east at 40 to 50 mph, they produced high winds, large hail, and an isolated tornado. Wind gusts from 60 to 80 mph downed many trees and power lines throughout the area. The cost estimates of damage included above are preliminary figures submitted by the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management.In Richmond County, the following peak wind gusts were reported: 80 mph at Great Kills, the Verranzano Bridge, and in Richmond. High winds downed trees and caused a building to collapse in Richmond. One tree fell on and…

5. Sep 7, 1998Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The NWS confirmed that an F2 tornado was responsible for significant damage that occurred in Lynbrook. Most of the village received damage from straight line winds up to 80 mph, that was associated with a severe squall line. Downed trees covered the village with some structural damage where the F2 tornado touched down.The major path of damage was from the northwest section of Lynbrook east-southeast to the southeast section of the village. Funnel clouds were observed from near the intersection of Marshall Ave. and Burtis Street and to the southeast. A tornado was first sighted by two eyewitnesses on Hampton Place. It rose and touched down several times: Second, near Winter Street…

6. Oct 29, 2012High Wind, Northern Nassau$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wind gust up to 82 mph was reported in Syosset at 703 pm. Winds of 77 mph were reported in Bayville, and Glen Cove at 521 pm. Winds of 66 mph were reported in Oyster Bay at 338 pm. An 84 year old male was killed by a fallen tree on Engineers Road in Roslyn. A 78 year old female was killed from carbon monoxide poisoning as he used a coal burning grill in his home. This accident was due to the loss of power in his home.

7. Feb 13, 2017High Wind, Northern Nassau$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A mesonet station near Sands Point reported a wind gust up to 72 mph at 848 am. Near Glen Cove a wind gust of 54 mph was measured at 821 am. A non federal AWOS near Syosset measured a wind gust up to 51 mph at 1 pm. In Locust Valley, another mesonet station measured a wind gust up to 51 mph at 256 pm. In glen Cove, a giant tree fell on a home causing major damage on Buckeye Road at 830 am. At 1250 pm in East Meadow, siding was blown off a house, which was reported by a trained spotter. The fire department in upper Brookville reported a tree down blocking two lanes of NY 25A westbound near Remsens Lane. This occurred at 1244 pm. In New Hyde Park, a light pole was downed by the high…

8. Oct 29, 2012High Wind, Southern Nassau$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wind gust up to 80 mph was reported by the coast guard near Point Lookout at 750 pm. A wind gust of 79 mph was reported near Lido Beach at 615 pm. On November 8th, a male was struck and killed by a car as he crossed the street. The traffic lights were out due to the loss of power.

9. Mar 2, 2018High Wind, Southern Nassau$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The mesonet station at Jones Beach Coast Guard measured a 66 mph wind gust at 548 pm. Around 1254 pm, the Department of Highways reported downed wires on the Long Island Expressway Service Road westbound between Searingtown Road and New Hyde Park Road, closing all lanes. At 210 pm, a trained spotter reported trees and wires and two telephone poles down blocking Oakfiled Road and Barrie Avenue in Wantagh. Also in the town of Wantagh, a trained spotter reported a tree down across the roadway at Park Avenue west of Oakland Avenue. This occurred around 330 pm. At the same time, a large tree was reported down onto multiple homes in Garden city per the broadcast media. At 415 pm in…

10. Jun 26, 2002Lightning$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Lightning struck St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Stewart Avenue in Bethpage. It quickly ignited a fire that spread from the attic down and caused the roof to collapse. "The Bethpage Fire Chief said 14 fire fighters were injured, half of them during a partial roof collapse. Seven fire fighters hurt in the collapse suffered burns and bruises from falling debris. The others were felled by heat exhaustion. All of these fire fighters were taken to hospitals for treatment. Ten fire departments assisted Bethpage in fighting this fire.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

104°FJul 3, 1966

All-time low

−2°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

82°F2 times, most recently Aug 14, 2016

Coldest day

8°FJan 17, 1977

Wettest day

8.05 inSep 29, 2023

Snowiest day

30.3 inJan 23, 2016

Hottest year

2024mean 57.2°F

Coldest year

1967mean 50.7°F

Wettest year

198359.12 in

Driest year

196525.38 in

Snowiest season

69.0 in1995-96

Station Jfk International Airport (USW00094789), 9 ft elevation, 8.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Nassau County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00094789.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.