How Many Tornados Happen In New York Each Year?

If you had to guess how many tornados we experience on average in the state of New York how high would that number be? It might surprise you. 

Over the last few years we have certainly seen a few more tornado warnings here in New York. Upstate, Central and Western New York seem to have been affected the most by this wild new weather experience. So how many tornados are we seeing each year in the Empire State?

In 2024 we saw a tornado devastate Rome, New York and during that summer alone we saw a confirmed amount of 36 tornados around the state. That is a number that is well above average, and broke the record for most confirmed tornados we've seen in NYS.

The real average, according to Accuweather, is far lower.

This data was compiled from 1994-2023 and says on average we've seen about 9 tornados in New York per year. You have to think that 2024's 36 will skew that average a bit, but I highly doubt that will be the new normal.

Read More: Drone Shows Tornado Destruction in Upstate New York

Of the northeast states New York saw more than New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts and the rest of New England. However Pennsylvania saw the most in the northeast with an average of 17. Still that number is nothing compared the southwest where Texas sees an average of 135. They're followed by Kansas with 88 per year.

Considering we don't have to deal with tornados as regularly as them, we're pretty lucky. Digging out from a blizzard is preferred over having to clean up from tornados and hurricanes.