New York tornado risk

62 counties scored 0 rated Very High

Erie County has the highest tornado risk in New York, scoring 95.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across New York have increased 60% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

#	County	NRI score	Rating	NOAA events 2016–2026
1	Erie County	95.4	Relatively High	9
2	Kings County	94.2	Relatively High	0
3	Queens County	90.6	Relatively High	1
4	New York County	89.4	Relatively Moderate	0
5	Albany County	88	Relatively Moderate	0
6	Ulster County	87.6	Relatively Moderate	3
7	Onondaga County	87.3	Relatively Moderate	0
8	Monroe County	87.2	Relatively Moderate	1
9	Bronx County	85.2	Relatively Moderate	0
10	Broome County	83.6	Relatively Moderate	3
11	Richmond County	83.4	Relatively Moderate	0
12	Orange County	81.9	Relatively Moderate	2
13	Rockland County	77.5	Relatively Moderate	1
14	Rensselaer County	76.6	Relatively Moderate	1
15	Nassau County	76.2	Relatively Moderate	1
16	Chautauqua County	76.1	Relatively Moderate	2
17	Suffolk County	74.7	Relatively Moderate	10
18	Westchester County	72.7	Relatively Moderate	1
19	Oneida County	71.9	Relatively Moderate	11
20	Sullivan County	71.3	Relatively Moderate	2
21	Schenectady County	70.7	Relatively Moderate	0
22	Saratoga County	69.9	Relatively Moderate	5
23	Columbia County	68.7	Relatively Moderate	0
24	Cattaraugus County	68.4	Relatively Moderate	2
25	Dutchess County	63.3	Relatively Low	5
26	Tompkins County	59	Relatively Low	2
27	Steuben County	58.1	Relatively Low	1
28	Delaware County	55.6	Relatively Low	2
29	Greene County	54.5	Relatively Low	2
30	Chemung County	52.8	Relatively Low	0
31	Niagara County	52.4	Relatively Low	0
32	Chenango County	46.4	Relatively Low	1
33	Otsego County	46.3	Relatively Low	0
34	Ontario County	44	Relatively Low	2
35	Tioga County	43.8	Relatively Low	0
36	Washington County	43.7	Relatively Low	1
37	Oswego County	43.1	Relatively Low	2
38	Madison County	41.9	Relatively Low	4
39	Montgomery County	41.7	Relatively Low	1
40	Allegany County	41.5	Relatively Low	3
41	Fulton County	40	Relatively Low	3
42	Livingston County	39.8	Relatively Low	1
43	Cayuga County	39.2	Relatively Low	0
44	Warren County	39	Relatively Low	4
45	Herkimer County	38.6	Relatively Low	4
46	Wayne County	38.3	Relatively Low	1
47	Cortland County	37.4	Relatively Low	2
48	Schoharie County	33	Relatively Low	0
49	Seneca County	30.8	Relatively Low	0
50	Putnam County	29.8	Relatively Low	2
51	Yates County	29.7	Relatively Low	1
52	Genesee County	29.5	Relatively Low	4
53	Wyoming County	29.2	Relatively Low	1
54	Jefferson County	27.9	Relatively Low	1
55	Clinton County	26.3	Relatively Low	1
56	St. Lawrence County	24.2	Very Low	1
57	Essex County	23.8	Very Low	0
58	Orleans County	22.4	Very Low	0
59	Schuyler County	22.1	Very Low	0
60	Franklin County	18.9	Very Low	0
61	Lewis County	17.2	Very Low	3
62	Hamilton County	11.2	Very Low	3

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.

Tornado risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in New York:

Wildfire Inland Flooding Coastal Flooding Earthquake Heat Wave Hurricane Hail Strong Wind Winter Weather Ice Storm Cold Wave Lightning Drought Landslide Avalanche Tsunami Volcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest tornado risk county in New York?

Erie County, NY has the highest tornado risk in New York, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 95.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").

What causes tornado risk in New York?

Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.