Onondaga County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Onondaga County: 0.
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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by USGS Conterminous (8), NASA (5).

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. Sep 7, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$90.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The derecho that caused extensive wind damage upstream in both Cayuga and Seneca counties continued eastward across Onondaga county. Widespread structural damage resulted and tens of thousands of trees were toppled in northern portions of the county. Direct human impact was also felt. Two fatalities and seven injuries occurred at the New York State Fairgrounds in Geddes. The bow echo complex first entered northwestern sections of the county just after 100 am EDT. It initially tore through the Baldwinsville area, leaving many streets littered with downed trees and utility poles. The storms progressed rapidly towards the east-southeast and affected an area from Clay across Onondaga…

2. Apr 26, 2011Flash Flood$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The county reported permanent damage to over 250 roads in the county, with most of the damage centered on the Syracuse area. Several roads were totally washed out, and the City of Syracuse described the urban flash flooding as major. Most roads in the county experienced degrees of flooding from ponding to major flooding and roadway breakdown. Standing water remained and closed several road intersections for several days afterward.

3. Jan 19, 1996Flash Flood$7.6 million
4. Apr 4, 2003Ice Storm, Onondaga$7.0 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…

5. Jul 8, 2016Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flood water was rapidly coming out of the storm drain system with 1 foot of water moving across the Crossroads Park Drive near Liverpool.

6. Jul 1, 2017Flash Flood$3.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding of most creeks and urbanized areas occurred throughout the town of Skaneateles. Culverts and roads were washed out in several places. Some residences experienced flooding.

7. Aug 30, 2004Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused flash flooding. The rain caused numerous road washouts and creek flooding in Pompey and Manlius. Many roads were closed and impassable with water covering them. A golf course flooded in Manlius. There was significant flooding along Limestone Creek mainly in the southern part of town but spreading north. A bridge was washed out in near the village of Manlius. An animal hospital was evacuated in Fayetteville. Many basements were flooded. Reported as worst flooding in 20 years. Rainfall was 3 to 5 inches.

8. Jul 28, 2002Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down briefly in the hamlet of Mottville which is in the town of Skaneateles. The tornado's path length was approximately 100 yards and its width was approximately 50 yards. A trailer home was destroyed in the center of Mottville. The 67 year old man who lived in it got out of the debris afterward with only a few scratches. In addition, several large trees were sheared off 10 to 20 feet above the ground. Falling trees damaged several homes and businesses in the area. The Mottville post office opened the next morning despite two large pine trees lying on the roof. The storm continued south into the center of the village of Skaneateles. Damage in this area was due…

9. Jun 14, 2002Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy thunderstorm rains caused flash flooding across northern Onondaga County. Rain started before 6 AM reaching its greatest accumulations of generally half an inch to an inch an hour between 9 AM and noon. During the afternoon it tapered off becoming scattered and less intense. Radar rainfall estimates exceeded 5 inches in a narrow band. Rain spotters in northern Onondaga County and an ASOS at the Syracuse airport in North Syracuse all had between 2 and 4 inches of rain. No spotters were in the area of worst flooding in Baldwinsville. In the village of Baldwinsville Tannery Creek overflowed. A state of emergency was declared at 1 PM. This shut down all of the streets in the…

10. Jul 1, 2017Flash Flood$1.2 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Widespread flash flooding of most creeks and urbanized areas occurred throughout the towns of Fabius and Pompey. Culverts and roads were washed out in several places. Some residences experienced flooding.

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

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

Station Syracuse Hancock International Airport (USW00014771), 410 ft elevation, 4.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 26, 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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.