Lewis County, New York severe weather history spans 374 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 74.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,362 nationally and #40 in New York.
374
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$22.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lewis County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lewis County, New York severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 129 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 352 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lewis County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $17.1M 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 Lewis County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 279 | 1 | $17.1M | 74 | 1966–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $136K | 1.25 | 1969–2024 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $1.9M | F1 | 1969–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2024 |
Decade by decade
Lewis 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
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-10-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lewis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | CROGHAN | 1 | 0 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The National Weather Service in Buffalo used Sentinel-2 satellite|imagery and found tornadic damage in Lewis County. A damage scar |was found using difference techniques of satellite imagery. The |scar was found in a wooded area east of North Osceola Road in the |Town of Osceola. A damage survey could not be conducted due to |limited access into the wooded area. The tornado is thus rated|EF-Unknown.
Severe thunderstorms moved across the area ahead of a cold front. There were numerous reports of downed trees and wires and power outages. In Horseheads, Chemung County, the storms toppled a 200-year old poplar tree that was 14-foot in diameter. A man was injured by a falling tree limb in Liverpool, Onondaga County In Oaks Corners, Ontario County a downed tree damaged a deck, kitchen, garage and dining room of a house. Torrential rains of the storm resulted in localized urban flooding.
A microburst with maximum winds of 70 mph began on Baldwin Road and extended slightly northeast onto McPhilmy Road. Scattered trees pointing north-northeast were downed as a result of the microburst. Path length: 0.1 miles. Maximum path width: 150 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,607
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 29, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 20, 2022 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | EM |
| Oct 8, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM FRED | DR |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lewis County, New York?
374 events are on record between 1966 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $22.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lewis County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 279 recorded events — 74.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lewis County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lewis County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lewis County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lewis County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lewis County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lewis 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
- Kings County 213
- Livingston County 350
- Jefferson County 343
- Madison County 405
- Herkimer County 908
- Monroe County 532
Cite this page
“Lewis County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/lewis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.