NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cattaraugus, NY
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cattaraugus, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 40 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 40
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Cattaraugus
The strongest storm to pass near Cattaraugus was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Cattaraugus begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 809 New York cities on this site, 49% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Cattaraugus. The highest rating among the 40 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 2, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 40, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Cattaraugus has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cattaraugus.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cattaraugus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 45 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cattaraugus: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cattaraugus
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s4
- 2000s3
- 1990s12
- 1980s5(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 11 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 20 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Aug 19, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 11 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F3 | 12 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 14, 2011 | EF2 | 25 mi | 4.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 14 mi | 7.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 40, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cattaraugus
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Cattaraugus since 1972. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on April 21, 1995. The most recent report is from August 2, 2008. May and June have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cattaraugus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Little Valley, NY, 7 miles southeast of Cattaraugus at 1,625 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 14°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 49.2 inches over 109 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (27.3 of 49.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 166 nights a year. Snowfall averages 133.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.2 inches is more than at 118 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (86%). Gowanda, 9 miles north, has its own station (Perrysburg, NY): 53.9 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 14 | 4.3 | 11 | 36.1 |
| Feb | 33 | 13 | 2.5 | 7 | 25.9 |
| Mar | 41 | 19 | 3.5 | 8 | 18.9 |
| Apr | 55 | 31 | 3.9 | 10 | 4.0 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 51 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 55 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 54 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 47 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 37 | 4.7 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Nov | 46 | 29 | 4.0 | 10 | 16.3 |
| Dec | 35 | 21 | 3.8 | 11 | 31.1 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 49.2 | 109 | 133.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Little Valley, NY (1,625 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Cattaraugus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cattaraugus: 106 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $46.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on November 14, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 9 of 20. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 318 have had fewer than Cattaraugus.
August 9, 2009: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Cattaraugus — 1 killed, 1 injured, $45.0 million damage.
May 13, 2014: flash flood in Cattaraugus — $250,000 damage.
May 13, 2014: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Cattaraugus — $250,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Cattaraugus's ZIP code 14719 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $37,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 33% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 549 New York cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 31 have fewer than Cattaraugus.
Cattaraugus County, which includes Cattaraugus, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 7 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cattaraugus County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.8 million a year, the 26th highest of 62 New York counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $28.7 million (85%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Cattaraugus
- Little Valley, NY7 mi
- Gowanda, NY9 mi
- South Dayton, NY10 mi
- Conewango Valley, NY10 mi
- Collins, NY12 mi
- Randolph, NY12 mi
- Salamanca, NY13 mi
- Springville, NY16 mi
- Kennedy, NY16 mi
- Forestville, NY17 mi
- North Collins, NY18 mi
- Irving, NY20 mi
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