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Chemung County, New York severe weather history spans 324 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,642 nationally and #48 in New York.
324
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$38.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Chemung County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chemung County, New York severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 287 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $23.8M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chemung County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 199 | 0 | $1.2M | 75 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $85K | 1.75 | 1968–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 0 | $23.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $13.2M | F3 | 1983–2014 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $65K | 0 | 1999–2005 |
Decade by decade
Chemung 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
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-09-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chemung County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 27, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | BIG FLATS | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Sep 4, 2001 | Lightning | CHEMUNG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WAVERLY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down west of Elmira near Miracle Lane off of Route 352. It traveled through west Elmira and into downtown Elmira along Church Street. It fell hundreds of trees. Some trees smashed cars, homes, and porches. It was amazing no one was injured or killed. The damage path widened while in downtown Elmira between Route 14 and Route 17. Then the tornado turned towards the southeast and traveled in a path near Jerusalem Hill Road. It lifted near the intersection of Jerusalem Hill Road and Monkey Run Road.
Heavy rain with amounts from 2.5 to 4 inches caused flash flooding. The rain which fell from the 16th to the 18th was due to the remnants of hurricane Ivan. Many streams and creeks went out of their banks. The rain also caused the Chemung River to flood. A few homes were damaged by the flash flooding.
3 to 3.5 inches of rain caused massive flash flooding of the Southport area in Chemung County. Seely and Dry Run Creeks were most impacted. Numerous roads were closed and flooded. Several residents and buildings were evacuated due to the flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
82,147
Population (ACS)
$141K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 1, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 13, 2011 | Severe Storm | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR |
| Sep 8, 2011 | Severe Storm | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chemung County, New York?
324 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $38.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chemung County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 199 recorded events — 61.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chemung County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chemung County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chemung County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chemung County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chemung County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 55 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chemung 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
- Chautauqua County 785
- Chenango County 603
- Cayuga County 526
- Clinton County 359
- Cattaraugus County 684
- Columbia County 826
Cite this page
“Chemung County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/chemung-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.