Oneida
Population 10,009 (2025)
44 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Oneida since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on September 4, 2025.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195044
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger7
- Major flood years since 1978, Madison County3
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Madison County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Madison County.
Strongest tornado
F2
July 23, 1990, 17.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1876, 7.3 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 1.7 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
July 23, 1990
F2, 17.0 mile path
77 yards wide.
Deadliest
July 8, 2014
4 killed, EF2
0 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Thursday, September 4, 2025
EF0, 3.0 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Sep 4, 2025 | EF0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 2025 | EF1 | 4.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 2025 | EF1 | 2.4 | 0 | 3 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF2 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 1.4 | 0 | 1 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF1 | 8.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2021 | EF1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 3, 2021 | EF1 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 22, 2017 | EF0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 22, 2017 | EF1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 30, 2017 | EF1 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 30, 2017 | EF0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF2 | 2.5 | 0 | 4 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 17, 2014 | EF1 | 11.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 2012 | EF1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 26, 2011 | EF0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 26, 2011 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 26, 2011 | EF1 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
| May 16, 2009 | EF2 | 5.3 | 1 | 0 |
| May 17, 2008 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2006 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 26, 1996 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 26, 1994 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 1993 | F0 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 1993 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 15, 1993 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 15, 1993 | F1 | 2.5 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep 3, 1992 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 28, 1990 | F0 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1990 | F2 | 17.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 16, 1989 | F0 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 24, 1989 | F1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 11, 1984 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 11, 1984 | F0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 1980 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 18, 1977 | F2 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 1, 1967 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
September 18, 1876
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
7.3 miles at closest approach, winds near 43 mph.
Most recent
August 4, 2020
Isaias, Tropical storm
90.6 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- 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.
Wildfire and smoke
No large wildfire has been mapped within 25 miles since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 60 days
Heavy smoke on 15 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
17.7 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
23 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 22 so far in 2026.
- 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.
Floods and flood insurance
313 federal flood insurance claims since 1979, with $4.7 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Madison County, the county that contains Oneida.
Most claims in one year
2013: 102 claims
$3.5 million paid.
2nd most
1996: 38 claims
$148,000 paid.
3rd most
2025: 25 claims
$506,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 13421 | 127 | $3.6 million |
| 13037 | 66 | $185,000 |
| 13032 | 60 | $586,000 |
| 13030 | 25 | $85,000 |
| 13035 | 16 | $67,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood49
- Flood4
- Heavy Rain2
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 Madison County, the county that contains Oneida.
Most severe crest
June 22, 1972
Chittenango Creek near Chittenango, 9.13 ft
3.13 feet above the 6.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
June 22, 1972
Chittenango Creek near Chittenango, 9.13 ft
Major flooding.
| Jun 22, 1972 | Chittenango Creek near Chittenango | 9.13 | +3.13 |
| Oct 26, 2021 | Chittenango Creek near Chittenango | 6.39 | +0.39 |
River gauges
| Chittenango Creek near Chittenango | 6.0 | 9.13 ft | 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 63 of 1,581 months since 1895 (4%); the longest spell lasted 13 months.
The drought index is for Madison County, the county that contains Oneida.
63
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
15
Months in extreme drought
4%
Share of all months, severe or worse
2
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
November 1964
−5.19, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
13 months
September 1964 to September 1965.
Latest month
September 2026
+0.94, incipient wet spell
Last severe month: August 1999.
- 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.
Earthquakes and landslides
3 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1980; none reached magnitude 4.
2
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
June 6, 1980
Magnitude 3.5
9 km ESE of Port Leyden, New York; 40.5 miles away, 0.6 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
July 31, 1997
Magnitude 3.2
0 km WSW of Lyons Falls, New York; 41.2 miles away.
- 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.
- 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.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Madison County.
2
Landslides mapped, probable or better
1
With a recorded date
2
Source inventories
Mapped by NASA (1), USGS Conterminous (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.
Severe weather and other events
624 events in the National Weather Service record for Madison County, 555 of them since 1996.
53
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
3
Hail, 2 inches or larger
176
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
168
Winter weather events since 1996
4
Heat events since 1996
18
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
August 3, 2007
2.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 3, 2014
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 4 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 27, 2006Flash Flood$25.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Tropical moisture streamed northward into upstate New York ahead of a frontal system which slowly moved westward into the eastern Great Lakes by Tuesday morning the 27th. This brought an initial round of heavy rain to Madison County by Tuesday morning causing significant flash flooding in the northern portion of the county. The rain abated for a short time during the day Tuesday the 27th before another batch of heavy rain fell Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning as the front moved back east and combined with a low pressure system moving up the eastern seaboard. Total rainfall for the three day period ending Wednesday was between 4 and 8 inches. This scenario caused major…
- Sep 7, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The derecho continued to plow towards the east from the Syracuse area into Madison county. Widespread wind damage again resulted, mainly across northern and eastern sections of the county. Several reports of large hail were also received. The line of severe storms first affected Sullivan and Oneida Townships between roughly 145 and 155 am EDT. Trees and power lines were downed throughout the area. Several automobiles in the parking lot of a convenience store in Oneida were damaged from falling trees. The storms ripped through the Lincoln, Stockbridge, and Peterboro areas from 155 am to about 205 am EDT. Numerous reports of golf ball sized hail were taken from skywarn spotters. One…
- Apr 4, 2003Ice Storm, Madison$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A stationary front was west to east across Pennsylvania during the 3rd and 4th of April. Areas of low pressure moved along the front bringing precipitation to upstate New York. A large area of high pressure, centered over Hudson Bay Canada helped to keep cold air at the surface. The morning of the 5th low pressure moved northeast to Erie, Pennsylvania then to northeast New York that evening. A trailing cold front brought with it an end to the precipitation from west to east. Patchy freezing rain was across these counties first the night of the 3rd into the 4th. At this time the freezing rain was most widespread in Northern Oneida County. Steady widespread freezing rain started…
- Jan 19, 1996Flash Flood$1.5 million
- Jun 28, 2013Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Major flash flooding occurred in the Town of Stockbridge along the Oneida Creek. Numerous residents were evacuated after a levee breached.
- Jun 28, 2013Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread and major flash flooding closed numerous roads, and forced evacuations along the Oneida Creek.
- Sep 7, 2011Flood$800,000
National Weather Service narrative
Record flooding occurred along the Oneida Creek near Oneida, NY. The river crested at 15.55 feet according to a USGS high water mark survey. The previous record crest was 15.01 feet from an event back in October of 1976.
- Jul 8, 2014Tornado$600,000
National Weather Service narrative
A tornado touched down in Smithfield just 2 miles to the northeast of Peterboro. This EF2 tornado with a path length of 2.5 miles and a path width of 235 yard resulted in 4 fatalities in Smithfield. Three homes were destroyed and 5 additional homes sustained significant damage.
- Aug 30, 2004Flash Flood$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain caused flash flooding. Numerous roads were floods and creeks were over their banks. Parts of the city of Oneida were flooded with streets impassable. Numerous homes had flooded basements. Power was shut off to reduce the risk of electrical fire until the basements got pumped out by the fire department. Rainfall was 3 to 5 inches.
- Jul 1, 2017Flash Flood$340,000
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread flash flooding of most creeks and urbanized areas occurred throughout the town of Eaton. Culverts and roads were washed out in several places. Some residences experienced flooding.
- 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.
Weather records
From Syracuse Hancock International Airport, 21.9 miles from the city centre, with records from 1938.
- All-time high
- 101°F3 times, most recently Jul 17, 2012
- All-time low
- −26°F3 times, most recently Feb 18, 1979
- Warmest night
- 80°FJul 5, 1999
- Coldest day
- −4°FJan 17, 1982
- Wettest day
- 4.29 inJul 12, 2006
- Snowiest day
- 24.2 inDec 30, 2025
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 53.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1940mean 45.1°F
- Wettest year
- 197658.17 in
- Driest year
- 196427.10 in
- Snowiest season
- 192.1 in1992-93
Median first snow
November 7
Earliest: October 1, 1946
Median last snow
April 11
Latest: May 17, 1973
0 of 87 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Syracuse Hancock International Airport (USW00014771), 410 ft elevation, 21.9 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 27, 2026; 99.9% 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.
Federal disaster declarations
24 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 20, 2020.
Declarations for Madison County.
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | DR-4480-NY |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3434-NY |
| Dec 19, 2019 | Severe Storm | DR-4472-NY |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | DR-4322-NY |
| Jul 12, 2013 | Flood | DR-4129-NY |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | EM-3351-NY |
| Jun 10, 2011 | Flood | DR-1993-NY |
| Jul 1, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1650-NY |
| Sep 30, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3262-NY |
| Apr 19, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1589-NY |
| Oct 1, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1564-NY |
| Aug 3, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1534-NY |
| Aug 29, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1486-NY |
| Aug 23, 2003 | Other | EM-3186-NY |
| May 12, 2003 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1467-NY |
| Feb 25, 2003 | Snowstorm | EM-3173-NY |
| Sep 11, 2001 | Fire | DR-1391-NY |
| Oct 11, 2000 | Other | EM-3155-NY |
| Jul 21, 2000 | Severe Storm | DR-1335-NY |
| Sep 11, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1244-NY |
| Jan 24, 1996 | Flood | DR-1095-NY |
| Mar 17, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3107-NY |
| Oct 2, 1975 | Flood | DR-487-NY |
| Jun 23, 1972 | Flood | DR-338-NY |
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.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- 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 USW00014771.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, 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.
- 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.