Cattaraugus County, New York severe weather history spans 684 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 70.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #423 nationally and #18 in New York.
684
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$83.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Cattaraugus County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cattaraugus County, New York severe weather history averages 9.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 227 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 604 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cattaraugus County, New York record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $64.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cattaraugus County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 484 | 0 | $4.0M | 100 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 1 | $64.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 64 | 0 | $300K | 1.75 | 1972–2026 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $13.9M | F3 | 1961–2026 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $551K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 2001–2004 |
| Heavy Snow | 3 | 0 | $220K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Cattaraugus 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
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 84.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-07-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 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 | Crossed in |
| 1968-08-06 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 31.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-06-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cattaraugus County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2009 | Flash Flood | GOWANDA | 1 | 1 | $45.0M |
| Sep 4, 2001 | Lightning | OLEAN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Feb 24, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm moving across Cattaraugus county produced a tornado. The tornado initially touched at 650 PM EDT on near Guernsey-Hollow Road in the town of South Valley in the southwest part of the county and moved across the Onoville Marina on Quaker Lake, continuing west across Allegany State Park, lifting near Route 1 in Red House at 710 PM EDT. Most of the property damage from the tornado was within in the Onoville Marina where several boats were overturned. A mobile trailer was also overturned there while several other trailers were pushed off their supports and numerous awnings were destroyed. In Allegany State Park and along Guernsey Hollow Road hundreds of trees were knocked over. Most of the damage occurred in heavily forested areas. There was notable tree damage near the Cain Hollow Campground. The tornado was rated an EF1 with a length of 13 miles and a maximum width of 100 yards.
Thunderstorms that formed in warm, moist air produced damaging winds during the afternoon hours. The strong winds downed trees and wires. In addition, the heavy rains from the thunderstorms (three to four inches in some spots) resulted in flash floods and closed roads.
The thunderstorm that produced a tornado beginning in South Valley continued moving west across Cattaraugus county. It produced another tornado that first touched down at 715 PM EDT on Rice Brook Road in Allegany State Park and continued until lifting at 720 PM EDT at Parkside Drive in Limestone. Most of the damage occurred in heavily forested areas with notable tree damage in the Rice Brook area of the Park. This tornado was ranked an EF1 with a path length of 2.2 miles and a maximum width of 100 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
76,145
Population (ACS)
$113K
Median home value
26
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 22, 2014 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 8, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cattaraugus County, New York?
684 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $83.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cattaraugus County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 484 recorded events — 70.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cattaraugus County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cattaraugus County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cattaraugus County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cattaraugus County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cattaraugus County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cattaraugus 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
- Broome County 1,069
- Cayuga County 526
- Bronx County 151
- Chautauqua County 785
- Allegany County 451
- Chemung County 324
Cite this page
“Cattaraugus County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/cattaraugus-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.