Cayuga County, New York severe weather history spans 526 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #792 nationally and #27 in New York.
526
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$38.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Cayuga County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cayuga County, New York severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 156 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 484 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cayuga County, New York record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $28.0M 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 Cayuga County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 358 | 0 | $28.0M | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $209K | 2.5 | 1980–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 46 | 1 | $6.8M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $416K | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $57K | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Tornado | 5 | 1 | $3.2M | F3 | 1969–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Cayuga 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: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-04-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cayuga County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $1.4M |
| May 3, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 2, 2006 | Lightning | MERIDIAN | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONTEZUMA | 0 | 3 | $20.0M |
| Jun 10, 2025 | Lightning | LOCKE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH FAIR HAVEN | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flash flooding of most creeks and urbanized areas occurred throughout the town of Genoa. Many residents were evacuated from their homes in low lying areas. The US Post Office in the village was inundated by flood waters. Culverts and roads were washed out in several places.
Water rapidly rushed through Moravia, NY along Mill Creek and into the Owasco Lake Inlet. A dozen structures in the heart of the village experienced minor to moderate flood damage. One structure was heavily damaged by flooding. The Owasco Inlet crested at 9.44 feet which was near record flooding.
Thunderstorms caused scattered straight line wind damage across a large area of southern Cayuga County. About 20 to 30 structures sustained at least minor damage. The towns affected were Ledyard, Venice, Scipio, Genoa, and Moravia. The most significant damage was a roof that was ripped off a home in Poplar Ridge (town of Venice) and damage to several barns and silos in Venice, Venice Center, and Scipio. Numerous trees were also snapped off or uprooted in these areas. A tornado also occurred at about the same time in the southeast corner of Scipio Township.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
75,102
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Nov 14, 2017 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 30, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cayuga County, New York?
526 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $38.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cayuga County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 358 recorded events — 68.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cayuga County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cayuga County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cayuga County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cayuga County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cayuga County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cayuga 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
- Cattaraugus County 684
- Chautauqua County 785
- Broome County 1,069
- Chemung County 324
- Bronx County 151
- Chenango County 603
Cite this page
“Cayuga County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/cayuga-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.