Chenango County, New York severe weather history spans 603 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #577 nationally and #20 in New York.
603
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$131.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Chenango County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chenango County, New York severe weather history averages 8.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 179 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 560 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chenango County, New York record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $64.3M 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 Chenango County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 355 | 1 | $2.0M | 88 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 109 | 0 | $15K | 3 | 1989–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 1 | $64.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $61.6M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 2 | $2.9M | F2 | 1989–2024 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $414K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Chenango 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
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-10-14 | EF2 | 2 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-08-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chenango County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 1989 | Tornado | 2 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jun 27, 2006 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $50.0M |
| Jun 26, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smithville Flats | 1 | 0 | $500 |
| Jul 15, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sherburne | 0 | 2 | $60K |
| May 16, 1993 | Tornado | Otselic | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Sep 3, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH AFTON | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| May 19, 1996 | Lightning | NORWICH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain with amounts of 3 to 5 inches in the southern half of the county caused flash flooding. The rain which fell from the 16th to the 18th was due to the remnants of hurricane Ivan. Some of the creeks and streams came out of their banks. The hardest hit towns were Afton, Bainbridge, Smithville, and Coventry.
The tornado touched down on county Route 7 in Pharsalia and produced EF1 damage to a few barns and some trees. The tornado traveled northeast approximately 8 miles before dissipating on Pigeon Hill Road in Pharsalia. Intensity for most of the path was estimated at EF1, however EF2 intensity was estimated along North Road and Center Road in Pharsalia. In those areas hundreds of large trees were snapped and uprooted leveling a dense forest. Over the hill a house trailer was lifted and demolished, a two story barn was demolished, a small pond had its water sucked out, and a jeep was moved several feet and hit with debris. Outbuildings were also destroyed.
A moderate to major flood occurred on the Chenango river at Greene, NY. The river crested at 21.09 feet at 10:15 AM on September 8, 2011. There was extensive flooding in the town and village of Greene, and surrounding areas.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
46,321
Population (ACS)
$138K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HENRI | 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 |
| Oct 1, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chenango County, New York?
603 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $131.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chenango County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 355 recorded events — 58.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chenango County?
16 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 Chenango County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chenango County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chenango County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chenango County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chenango 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
- Chemung County 324
- Clinton County 359
- Chautauqua County 785
- Columbia County 826
- Cayuga County 526
- Cortland County 433
Cite this page
“Chenango County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/chenango-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.