Erie County, New York severe weather history spans 790 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #301 nationally and #11 in New York.
790
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$34.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Erie County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Erie County, New York severe weather history averages 11.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 196 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 120 events fall before 1990 and 670 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 $21.0M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Erie County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 444 | 0 | $4.6M | 75 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 131 | 0 | $1.3M | 2 | 1959–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 94 | 0 | $21.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 57 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 0 | $4.7M | F3 | 1957–2024 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2025 |
| Heavy Snow | 3 | 0 | $185K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Seiche | 2 | 0 | $85K | 0 | 2000–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Erie 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
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-08-19 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Erie County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUFFALO | 0 | 12 | $50K |
| Aug 19, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 30, 2006 | Tornado | CHEEKTOWAGA | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| May 27, 2001 | Lightning | CLARENCE | 0 | 2 | $15K |
| Jun 29, 2000 | Lightning | AKRON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2011 | Lightning | CHEEKTOWAGA | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Aug 13, 2001 | Lightning | GRANDYLE VLG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 18, 1999 | Heavy Snow | ORCHARD PARK | 0 | 1 | $35K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm spawned a small tornado during the early morning hours. Downburst winds with an embedded tornado downed numerous trees. Some of the trees were 1 to 1.5 feet in diameter and at least 100 feet high. Some structural damage to homes resulted from falling trees and limbs.
A thunderstorm spawned a small tornado during the early morning hours. Downburst winds with an embedded tornado downed numerous trees. Some of the trees were 1 to 1.5 feet in diameter and at least 100 feet high. Some structural damage to homes resulted from falling trees and limbs.
An isolated thunderstorm spawned a small tornado. The tornado first touched down on Grand Island where it ripped the antenna off a house and flipped over outdoor lawn furniture. The tornado moved southeast downing some trees in Tonawanda.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
950,622
Population (ACS)
$234K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2023 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Dec 26, 2022 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Erie County, New York?
790 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $34.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Erie County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 444 recorded events — 56.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Erie County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Erie County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Erie County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Erie County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Erie County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Erie 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
- Dutchess County 955
- Essex County 395
- Delaware County 548
- Franklin County 322
- Cortland County 433
- Fulton County 374
Cite this page
“Erie County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/erie-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.