When you think of tornadoes, New York State doesn't typically come to mind as a place that gets too many of them.

Our area may not see as many tornadoes as other parts of the country, but we have seen our fair share of the last several years.

For reference, reliable data collected for this blog dates back to 1952.

Our six tornadoes confirmed in 2022 stretched across the entire state, from western New York and the Finger Lakes, to the Catskills and even eastern Long Island.

During that year, the strongest tornado was an EF2, which spun up in Wyoming County on Jul. 28. It was on the ground for 15 minutes and generated wind speeds as high as 115 mph. This was also the first EF2 confirmed in New York State since May 15, 2018.

In addition to that one, there were also three EF1 and two EF0 tornadoes confirmed that same year.

The six tornadoes confirmed in 2022 were the least amount confirmed in a year since 2019, when only four were reported. Both 2021 and 2020 confirmed 12 tornadoes each year.

Since 2010, New York State sees an average of nearly 10 tornadoes a year. Over that stretch, 2011 saw the highest number of tornadoes, confirming 23 all year.

With the potential for more active weather to come during the spring and summer months, it is important to make sure you are prepared and know what to do if a Tornado Warning is ever issued for your area. 

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.