Batavia
Population 15,168 (2025)
14 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Batavia since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on September 9, 2024.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195014
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger3
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 19841
- Major flood years since 1978, Genesee County1
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Genesee County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Genesee County.
Strongest tornado
F2
June 2, 1998, 15.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1893, 35.9 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 5.4 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
June 2, 1998
F2, 15.0 mile path
250 yards wide.
Deadliest
September 3, 1993
2 killed, F1
0 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Monday, September 9, 2024
EF0, 0.2 mile path
2 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Sep 9, 2024 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF0 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 10, 2024 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 28, 2022 | EF2 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 25, 2022 | EF0 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2020 | EF0 | 4.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 25, 2009 | EF1 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 15.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 3, 1993 | F1 | 4.2 | 0 | 2 |
| Aug 31, 1993 | F1 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 6, 1979 | F0 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2, 1972 | F2 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 23, 1971 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
2 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
October 14, 1893
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
35.9 miles at closest approach, winds near 69 mph.
Most recent
September 9, 2004
Frances, Post-tropical
27.9 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Frances | 2004 | 27.9 | Post-tropical |
| Opal | 1995 | 23.6 | Post-tropical |
| Hugo | 1989 | 32.9 | Post-tropical |
| Agnes | 1972 | 44.5 | Post-tropical |
| Connie | 1955 | 95.0 | Tropical storm |
| Hazel | 1954 | 7.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1903 | 59.7 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 85.5 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 80.6 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 35.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1885 | 91.5 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1878 | 27.1 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1876 | 48.8 | Tropical storm |
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
1 large fire burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
November 16, 1994
Mohawk Pool Fire, 506 acres
13.8 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
November 16, 1994
Mohawk Pool Fire
506 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Mohawk Pool | 1994 | 13.8 | 506 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 59 days
Heavy smoke on 18 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
18.3 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
24 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 23 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
137 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $1.9 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Genesee County, the county that contains Batavia.
Most claims in one year
1998: 35 claims
$286,000 paid.
2nd most
2017: 15 claims
$721,000 paid.
3rd most
1979: 11 claims
$8,456 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 14020 | 62 | $140,000 |
| 14011 | 32 | $1.1 million |
| 14005 | 27 | $562,000 |
| 14482 | 6 | $46,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood19
- Flood19
- Heavy Rain3
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).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Genesee County, the county that contains Batavia.
Most severe crest
April 6, 1947
Tonawanda Creek at Batavia, 13.85 ft
4.85 feet above the 9.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
April 1, 2026
Tonawanda Creek at Batavia, 10.90 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Tonawanda Creek at Batavia | 9.0 | 13.85 ft | 7 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 108 of 1,581 months since 1895 (7%); the longest spell lasted 13 months.
The drought index is for Genesee County, the county that contains Batavia.
108
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
23
Months in extreme drought
7%
Share of all months, severe or worse
5
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
January 1961
−5.22, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
13 months
May 1934 to May 1935.
Latest month
September 2026
+4.18, extremely wet
Last severe month: November 2016.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
3 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 4.7 in 1929.
3
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
3
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
August 12, 1929
Magnitude 4.7
The 1929 Attica, New York Earthquake; 12.7 miles away, 5.6 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
February 6, 2023
Magnitude 3.8
1 km NE of West Seneca, New York; 32.0 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jun 13, 1967 | 4.1 | 11.5 |
| Jan 1, 1966 | 4.3 | 11.4 |
| Aug 12, 1929 | 4.7 | 12.7 |
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
454 events in the National Weather Service record for Genesee County, 412 of them since 1996.
8
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
114
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
108
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
27
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
May 31, 1985
2.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
April 18, 2004
86 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 4 | 2 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Oct 12, 2006Lake-Effect Snow, Genesee$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Low pressure over Lake Superior brought a westerly flow of unseasonably cold air across western New York. Lake Effect rain began Thursday (10/13/06) morning. By midday the rain began mixing with graupel and thunder and lightning was reported. The cold air became deep enough to change the precipitation to wet snow across the Niagara Frontier by 2 p.m. Little accumulation resulted for the first few hours of snowfall. By between 5 and 8 p.m. accumulations began to reach the two to three inch mark. The weight of this heavy, wet snow on nearly fully-leafed trees began to weigh down and snap the trees. Conditions only worsened overnight with near constant thunder and lightning for…
- Jul 25, 2009Tornado$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A tornado crossed the town of Darien and village of Corfu in Genesee county. The initial touchdown occurred at 453 PM EDT on Reynolds Road in Darien. The tornado moved northeast across Routes 77 and 33 before lifting near Boyce Road at 505 PM EDT (a path length of about four miles). Widespread damage occurred to the small village. Over 30 homes were damaged and three buildings were demolished. Two greenhouses were also destroyed. Twenty power poles were snapped, countless trees were uprooted and a number of vehicles sustained damage. The tornado was rated an EF1 with wind speeds estimated close to 100 mph.
- Jan 31, 2002Ice Storm, Genesee$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A three to five inch snowfall overnight of the 30th-31st turned to freezing rain during the morning hours. Ice accumulations of one-half to three-quarters inch occurred. Hundreds of thousands were left without power as the heavy ice build-up downed trees and power lines. Some areas were without power for up to 72 hours. Winds picked up and gusted to 55 mph. Trees and tree limbs fell blocking roads and damaging homes and automobiles. Tree damage included large and small limb breakage and bark damage as well as the uprooting of trees. States of Emergency were declared across the Niagara Frontier counties. East of Lake Ontario snowfall amounts of six to eight inches were followed by…
- Dec 25, 2001Heavy Snow, Genesee$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Lake effect snowbands developed and persisted for an unprecedented five days meandering north and south across the region. Multiple bands of snow developed over the Niagara peninsula during Monday, the 24th , morning and extended into Niagara and northern Erie counties into early afternoon dropping up to six inches. The activity consolidated into a single band during the mid-afternoon and dropped south across the Buffalo metro area through the evening and early overnight. Snowfall rates of 4" per hour and thunder were reported during the evening. The band drifted back north to the Niagara peninsula on Christmas day. On Wednesday the 26th, the band over the peninsula began to drift…
- Apr 4, 2003Ice Storm, Genesee$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
Low pressure over Illinois brought a mix of wintry weather to parts of the Genesee Valley, the Finger Lakes and the North Country. Across the North Country the precipitation mainly fell as snow mixed with sleet at times. Nine to twelve inches accumulated over the higher elevations. Across the Genesee Valley and the Finger Lakes, the precipitation fell mainly as freezing rain. Up to an inch of ice accumulation was measured. Hardest hit areas were eastern Monroe, Wayne and northern Cayuga counties. A Federal Disaster Declaration included Livingston, Monroe, northern Cayuga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, and Wayne counties. The heavy ice accumulation downed trees, limbs and power and…
- Mar 8, 2017High Wind, Genesee$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Unusually deep low pressure moved from northwest Ontario across Hudson Bay. The low brought strong winds to the entire region with sustained winds up to 49 mph and wind gusts as high as 81 mph. A significant amount of damage resulted with hundreds of thousands left without power���over 100,000 in Monroe County alone. Particularly hard hit was the northern Genesee Valley region including parts of Orleans, Monroe, and Genesee counties. Trees and power lines were downed. Power poles were snapped. The strong winds derailed a train in Batavia (Genesee County). Twelve out of thirty-one freight cars were blown off the tracks. In Chili, a large section of fence was impaled into the…
- Nov 20, 2000Heavy Snow, Genesee$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Cold air crossing the warm waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario resulted in lake effect squalls that dropped over two feet downwind of the lakes.Off Lake Erie, the squall developed around midday on the 20th in a southwest flow ahead of a cold front. Snow fell at the rate of two to four inches per hour for several hours. The storm crippled much of the Buffalo metro area. Tens of thousands of people were stranded in autos as city and suburban streets became clogged with traffic and came to a standstill. Three thousand school children were stranded in buses which were unable to complete their routes. Snowfall in this early stage were as high as two feet in a narrow strip about three…
- Nov 17, 2005Heavy Snow, Genesee$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
The first lake effect event of the season brought over a foot of heavy, wet snow to the areas downwind of Lake Erie while areas east of Lake Ontario received seven to ten inches. Off Lake Erie, the heavy snow, falling at the rate of 2" per hour, concentrated within an eight mile wide stip from the lake shore near Silver Creek and Angola, across Hamburg, Orchard Park, East Aurora, Elma and Alden. The weight of the wet snow caused several buildings to collapse, including a large bowling in Hamburg. Specific snow totals included: 18" at Elma; 17" at Marilla; 16" at Orchard Park and Hamburg; 14" at Bennington; 13" at East Aurora; 9" at Carthage and Harrisville; 8" at Darien and 7" at…
- Feb 1, 2002High Wind, Genesee$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
An intensifying storm moved across the Great Lakes and lifted northeast to the St. Lawrence Valley. Very strong winds behind the low blasted the region with wind gusts exceeding 55 mph. Trees and power lines were downed by the strong winds. Hundreds of thousands were without power...some for several days. Fallen trees and limbs littered the area and closed roads. Numerous reports of damage to homes and automobiles were received from throughout the area. Driving bans and States of Emergency were declared in several counties. Numerous school districts were forced to close on the first and several remained closed through the beginning of the following week. In Monroe county, two…
- Nov 17, 2022Lake-Effect Snow, Genesee$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
A barn was collapsed in the Town of Darien due to the weight of the heavy snow on the roof.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Batavia, 2.2 miles from the city centre, with records from 1932.
- All-time high
- 103°F3 times, most recently Jul 13, 1936
- All-time low
- −28°FFeb 9, 1934
- Warmest night
- 86°FSep 3, 2011
- Coldest day
- −7°FJan 6, 2018
- Wettest day
- 5.52 inJun 2, 1926
- Snowiest day
- 23.0 inJan 23, 1966
- Hottest year
- 2012mean 52.5°F
- Coldest year
- 1940mean 44.4°F
- Wettest year
- 197749.06 in
- Driest year
- 193422.39 in
- Snowiest season
- 153.1 in2014-15
Median first snow
November 13
Earliest: October 11, 1987
Median last snow
April 8
Latest: May 20, 1976
0 of 80 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Batavia (USC00300443), 913 ft elevation, 2.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1932 to October 26, 2026; 88.4% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
25 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, March 15, 2023.
Declarations for Genesee County.
| Mar 15, 2023 | Snowstorm | DR-4694-NY |
| Dec 26, 2022 | Winter Storm | EM-3590-NY |
| Nov 20, 2022 | Winter Storm | EM-3589-NY |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | DR-4480-NY |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3434-NY |
| Dec 22, 2014 | Snowstorm | DR-4204-NY |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | EM-3351-NY |
| Oct 24, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1665-NY |
| Oct 15, 2006 | Snowstorm | EM-3268-NY |
| Sep 30, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3262-NY |
| Aug 3, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1534-NY |
| Aug 23, 2003 | Other | EM-3186-NY |
| May 12, 2003 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1467-NY |
| Dec 31, 2001 | Snowstorm | EM-3170-NY |
| Sep 11, 2001 | Fire | DR-1391-NY |
| Oct 11, 2000 | Other | EM-3155-NY |
| Jan 15, 1999 | Snowstorm | EM-3136-NY |
| Jul 7, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1233-NY |
| Jan 6, 1998 | Snowstorm | DR-1196-NY |
| Mar 17, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3107-NY |
| Mar 21, 1991 | Snowstorm | DR-898-NY |
| Feb 5, 1977 | Snowstorm | DR-527-NY |
| Jan 29, 1977 | Snowstorm | EM-3027-NY |
| Mar 19, 1976 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-494-NY |
| Mar 21, 1973 | Flood | DR-367-NY |
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).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00300443.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.