Chautauqua County, New York severe weather history spans 785 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #307 nationally and #12 in New York.
785
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$65.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Chautauqua County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chautauqua County, New York severe weather history averages 11.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 257 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 123 events fall before 1990 and 662 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chautauqua County, New York record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $38.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chautauqua County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 534 | 0 | $4.6M | 105 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 94 | 0 | $38.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 90 | 0 | $352K | 2 | 1958–2026 |
| Tornado | 29 | 2 | $21.1M | F4 | 1959–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $518K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $140K | 0 | 2003–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2021 |
| Heavy Snow | 3 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Chautauqua County, New York severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 84.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-11-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-11-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chautauqua County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 6, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 17, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 13, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 31, 1998 | Tornado | BROCTON | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Aug 28, 1994 | Tornado | Fredonia | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Aug 29, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | JAMESTOWN | 0 | 1 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed EF-1 damage with 100 mph maximum wind estimate, a path length of 1.5 miles, and a width of 35 yards. The tornado touched down in a wooded area before moving across a property, flattening a 60'x80' garage and lifting and rotating a 53' semi trailer. It then crossed a road and damaged the second story of a barn. It crossed another road and damaged two other barns along Thayer Road before continuing to tree damage to the east end of Farr Road.
Thunderstorms with damaging winds, downpours and lightning moved onshore from Lake Erie resulting in damage over parts of extreme western Chautauqua County. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. The downed tree limbs damaged three cars in Westfield.
Thunderstorms with damaging winds, downpours and lightning moved onshore from Lake Erie resulting in damage over parts of extreme western Chautauqua County. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. The downed tree limbs damaged three cars in Westfield.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
125,544
Population (ACS)
$128K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2022 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | EM |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Dec 19, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Dec 22, 2014 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 8, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chautauqua County, New York?
785 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $65.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chautauqua County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 534 recorded events — 68.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chautauqua County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chautauqua County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chautauqua County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chautauqua County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chautauqua County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chautauqua County, New York severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Cayuga County 526
- Chemung County 324
- Cattaraugus County 684
- Chenango County 603
- Broome County 1,069
- Clinton County 359
Cite this page
“Chautauqua County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/chautauqua-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.