Cortland County, New York severe weather history spans 433 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,122 nationally and #32 in New York.
433
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$12.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Cortland County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cortland County, New York severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 120 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 32 events fall before 1990 and 401 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 $10.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cortland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 293 | 0 | $1.3M | 83 | 1969–2025 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $44K | 2 | 1978–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 0 | $10.7M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $90K | 0 | 2000–2026 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $257K | F1 | 1992–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 2000–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Cortland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cortland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jun 27, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | CORTLAND | 0 | 4 | $5K |
| May 27, 2001 | Lightning | LAPEER | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRACIE | 0 | 1 | $59K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Many roads in the county were closed due to flooding. A large section of Route 11 was closed between Polkville and Marathon. Trout Brook over-topped a bridge where it crossed Route 11, and many roads in the Village of McGraw, including Route 41, were closed.
A severe thunderstorm that had produced wind damage and hail just a short time prior in the town of Taylor became tornadic over Cincinnatus. Post-storm damage surveys indicate that the tornado touchdown was brief with snapped off trees and some house damage incurred. One home had its roof almost completely torn off with the front porch also heavily damaged from falling trees. The swath of damage was only just over 100 yards long with evidence of tornadic winds becoming discontinuous downstream.
Over a dozen roads were reported flooded in the greater Cortland area with one road having over two feet of water flowing over it. A flash flood was also reported north of Cortland near Preble where northbound Interstate 81 was closed due to flooding at Exit Thirteen.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
46,246
Population (ACS)
$162K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Dec 19, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cortland County, New York?
433 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $12.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cortland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 293 recorded events — 67.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cortland 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 Cortland County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cortland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cortland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cortland County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cortland 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
- Columbia County 826
- Delaware County 548
- Clinton County 359
- Dutchess County 955
- Chenango County 603
- Erie County 790
Cite this page
“Cortland County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/cortland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.