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1821 Hurricane
Reaching the City on September 3, 1821, the storm was one of the only hurricanes believed to have passed directly over parts of modern New York City. The tide rose 13 feet in one hour and inundated wharves, causing the East River to converge into the Hudson River across lower Manhattan as far north as Canal Street. However, few deaths were attributed to the storm because flooding was concentrated in neighborhoods with far fewer homes than exist today. -
1893 Hurricane
In 1893, a category 1 hurricane destroyed Hog Island, a resort island off the Rockaways in southern Queens. -
1938 Hurricane
The most powerful hurricane known to have made landfall nearby — a category 3 hurricane — occurred in 1938. Its eye crossed over Long Island and into New England, killing nearly 200 people. The storm killed 10 people in New York City and caused millions of dollars in damage. Its floods knocked out electrical power in all areas above 59th Street in Manhattan and in all of the Bronx, the new IND subway line lost power, and 100 large trees in Central Park were destroyed. -
Hurricane Carol
In 1954, Hurricane Carol made landfall in Eastern Long Island and Southeastern Connecticut. With sustained winds over 100 mph and gusts of 115 to 125 mph, it was the most destructive hurricane to hit the Northeast coast since the Long Island Express in 1938. Fortunately for City residents, the storm's track was forty miles further east, and spared it a direct hit, but did result in major flooding throughout the City. -
Hurricanes Diane & Connie
Leftover rains from hurricanes Diane and Connie caused significant flooding in the City in August 1955, even though the eye of those storms did not cross directly over any of the five boroughs. Diane caused more than 200 deaths in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Connie dropped more than 12 inches of rain at LaGuardia Airport. -
Hurricane Donna
In 1960, Hurricane Donna created an 11-foot storm tide in the New York Harbor that caused extensive pier damage. Hurricane Donna in the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season was a Cape Verde-type hurricane which moved across the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispanola, Cuba, The Bahamas, and every state on the East Coast of the United States -
Hurricane Agnes
In June 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes fused with another storm system in the northeastern U.S., flooding areas from North Carolina to New York State, causing 122 deaths and more than $6 billion dollars in damage (when adjusted for inflation). -
Hurricane Gloria
Termed the Storm Of The Century at one point in its life. This Category Three Hurricane made landfall over the outer banks of North Carolina, and then moved up the East Coast of the United States on September 27, 1985. Estimated damage from this storm was $900 million dollars. -
Hurricane Felix
Hurricane Felix lingered off the East Coast for nearly a week in 1995, menacing the northeastern US before it finally drifted out to sea. Hurricane Felix was the southernmost landfalling Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic; surpassing Hurricane Edith of 1971. It was the sixth named storm, second hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. -
Hurricane Bertha
A weakening Tropical Storm Bertha brought heavy rain to the City in July 1996. Hurricane Bertha was an intense and early-forming major hurricane that affected areas from the Leeward Islands to the United States in July of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season. -
Hurricane Edouard
Hurricane Edouard veered out to sea after tracking toward New York City around Labor Day 1996. Hurricane Edouard, a Category 4 storm, strongest of the season, approached Massachusetts but did not make landfall. Two died and some boats were damaged. -
Hurricane Floyd
In September 1999, Tropical Storm Floyd brought sustained 60 mph winds and dumped 10-15 inches of rain on upstate New Jersey and New York State over a 24-hour period. Flash flooding from this tropical storm — one of the most powerful to affect New York City in a decade — forced hundreds of people to leave their homes in counties just outside the five boroughs. Floyd caused New York City's schools to close for the first time since 1996 and led the city to open emergency storm shelters as a precau -
Hurricane Irene
In August 2011, Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm right before it made landfall in New York City. In preparation the City issued the first-ever mandatory evacuation of coastal areas on August 26, 2011. The evacuation encompassed 370,00 residents living in evacuation zone A, the entire Rockaway Peninsula, and 34 health care facilities located in evacuation zone B. The city sheltered 10,000 evacuees at 81 shelters. The rest stayed with family and friends outside the evacuationzone -
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy was a tropical cyclone that devastated portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada. Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with winds spanning 1,100 miles. The estimated cost of damage of this storm is at least $20 billion dollars.
