NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gowanda, 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 Gowanda, New York since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frances in 2004. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Gowanda
The strongest storm to pass near Gowanda was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Gowanda begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Frances in 2004, a tropical storm 36 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 Gowanda. The highest rating among the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 2, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 35, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Gowanda has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 809 New York cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 11 times since 1967, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 809 New York cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gowanda.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gowanda
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | FrancesSep 9 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 23 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 16 | 45 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 70 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 Gowanda: 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 Gowanda
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s5
- 2000s1
- 1990s10
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 12 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 25 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Aug 19, 1970 | F3 | 15 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 20, 1969 | F3 | 20 mi | 84.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F3 | 14 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 6.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 14, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 7.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gowanda
The Storm Prediction Center has 11 hail reports within 10 miles of Gowanda since 1967. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 28, 2017, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gowanda
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Perrysburg, NY, 4 miles west of Gowanda at 1,210 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. December is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and May and July the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 53.9 inches over 125 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (27.5 of 53.9 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 5.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. Snowfall averages 208.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.9 inches is more than at 133 of the 137 New York stations used on this site (97%). Cattaraugus, 9 miles south, has its own station (Little Valley, NY): 49.2 inches a year, 4.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 16 | 4.9 | 15 | 66.0 |
| Feb | 34 | 16 | 4.2 | 10 | 46.3 |
| Mar | 43 | 23 | 3.8 | 9 | 21.9 |
| Apr | 55 | 32 | 4.0 | 11 | 6.7 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 51 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 40 | 5.3 | 13 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 4.8 | 10 | 15.7 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 5.8 | 14 | 51.3 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 53.9 | 125 | 208.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Perrysburg, NY (1,210 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 Gowanda
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gowanda: 85 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 5 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $67.6 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, 8 of 22. Of the 798 New York cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 352 have had fewer than Gowanda.
August 9, 2009: flash flood in Gowanda — 1 killed, 1 injured, $45.0 million damage.
August 9, 2009: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Gowanda — $15.0 million damage.
May 13, 2014: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Gowanda — $5.0 million 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 Gowanda's ZIP code 14070 have filed 139 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2009: 78 claims (56% of all) and $2.0 million. 57% 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, 410 have fewer than Gowanda.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2009 | 78 | $2.0 million |
Cattaraugus County, which includes Gowanda, 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 Gowanda
- Collins, NY4 mi
- South Dayton, NY8 mi
- Cattaraugus, NY9 mi
- North Collins, NY10 mi
- Irving, NY11 mi
- Forestville, NY12 mi
- Silver Creek, NY13 mi
- Springville, NY13 mi
- Angola, NY14 mi
- Eden, NY14 mi
- Conewango Valley, NY15 mi
- Little Valley, NY16 mi
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