Livingston County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Livingston County: 0.
2. 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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. 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.

Smoke overhead

1. 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.

Claims by ZIP code

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

1. 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.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
2. 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 9, 2003Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong thunderstorms developed in a very moist atmosphere, dropping three to five inches of rain in a short amount of time onto already saturated ground. The heavy rains produced flash flooding over parts of the southern tier and Finger Lakes. In Livingston county, the Towns of Nunda and Sparta were hardest hit. A reservoir line, which provides water to Nunda's water treatment plant, was damaged. An earthen dam on the 50-million-gallon drinking water reservoir was damaged. Families living below the dam were evacuated as a precaution. Many miles of roads and road shoulders were damaged, along with several bridges and culverts. In Cattaraugus county, the town of Ischua sustained…

2. Apr 5, 2003Ice Storm, Livingston$1.0 million
   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…

3. Mar 4, 1999Heavy Snow, Livingston$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Deep low pressure moved from West Virginia north across New York to Quebec, Canada. Heavy rain changed to heavy snow as cold air circulated into the region. Snow fell at the rate of two to three inches per hour. Across Monroe and Wayne counties snowfall amounts were greatest with over two feet falling. Snow fall amounts dropped off both east and west of that area. The strong winds off Lake Ontario resulted in blizzard conditions over Monroe and Wayne counties for nearly six hours. Drifts reached four to five feet in places. The New York State Thruway (I-90) was closed from Depew to Syracuse. Several hundred cars were stranded in the closed section. The Governor declared Monroe,…

4. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Livingston$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rapid snowmelt of 1-2 feet of snow combined with heavy rainfall of about an inch to produce significant flooding.

5. Mar 16, 2004Heavy Snow, Livingston$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A low pressure system strengthened over the mid-Mississippi valley, moved to the Virginias, then tracked northeast along the Atlantic coast. The late season storm produced ten to twenty inches of heavy, wet snow across much of the region. The snow began across the western southern tier around daybreak on the 16th and during the morning hours across the Niagara frontier and western Finger Lakes region. The snow continued, heavy at times, throughout the day and then began to taper off at midnight. Many schools and businesses heeded warnings, closed on the 16th and remained closed on the 17th. The storm was blamed for numerous automobile accidents, including several fatalities.…

6. Feb 1, 2002High Wind, Livingston$300,000
   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…

7. Jan 31, 2002Ice Storm, Livingston$250,000
   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…

8. Nov 21, 2000Heavy Snow, Livingston$250,000
   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…

9. Mar 6, 1999Heavy Snow, Livingston$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong storm moved from Ohio to New England and dropped a general six to twelve inches of snow across the entire region. The snow fell just two days after much of the area was recovering from another major winter storm. The heavy snow was blamed for numerous auto accidents--some with injuries. Specific snowfall reports included: Rochester 19"; Fairport, Penfield, Castorland and Ontario 18"; Pittsford and Montague 17"; Webster, Greece and Palmyra 16"; Mt. Morris 15"; Highmarket and Lyndonville 14"; Wales, Albion, Sherman, Victor, Honeoye and Watertown 12"; Lockport, Bennington, Arkwright, and West Monroe 11"; Youngstown, Alden, Perrysburg, Dansville, Avon and Oswego 10"; Niagara…

10. Jul 8, 1998Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Localized thunderstorms early in the morning of the 8th dropped three to five inches of rain across parts of Erie, Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties. Over five inches fell in just a few hours over much of Wyoming county. This resulted in rare, widespread devastating flash flooding. Many small streams and creeks became raging torrents and the upper reaches of the Tonawanda Creek rose drastically--faster than at any time in at least 30 years according to locals--and flooded out much of the Village of Attica. Two deaths resulted from the flooding. A 28 year-old female and a 17 year-old male drowned while attempting to rescue animals from the basement of an animal clinic. More…

1. 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.

All-time high

100°F2 times, most recently Jul 7, 1986

All-time low

−28°FJan 15, 1957

Warmest night

79°F4 times, most recently Jul 9, 1936

Coldest day

−4°FFeb 15, 1943

Wettest day

4.30 inMay 16, 1916

Snowiest day

24.0 inMar 3, 1942

Hottest year

2024mean 51.2°F

Coldest year

1904mean 43.1°F

Wettest year

201746.41 in

Driest year

190918.10 in

Snowiest season

93.0 in1959-60

Station Hemlock (USC00303773), 902 ft elevation, 7.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1898 to October 27, 2026; 98.1% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00303773.
• 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.