Niagara County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Niagara 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.

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Nov 1, 2019Lakeshore Flood, Niagara$5.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lake Erie crested at 12:18 AM at Buffalo Harbor at a height of 10.56 ft above low water datum. The seiche from Lake Erie traveled up the Niagara River and actually flooded exit rams to I-190 in Niagara County.

2. Dec 24, 2001Heavy Snow, Niagara$2.3 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…

3. Oct 12, 2006Lake-Effect Snow, Niagara$2.0 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…

4. Jan 31, 2002Ice Storm, Niagara$1.5 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…

5. May 17, 2019Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Excessive runoff into the Ottawa River Basin in Canada restricted the outlet of Lake Ontario. This combined with above normal precipitation into the Lake Ontario Basin, record levels on the Great Lakes above Lake Ontario, and higher than normal flows into the lake from the Niagara River pushed the lake to well above normal levels. Over the course of May, the levels quickly approached those reached in 2017, surpassing 5 feet above low water datum on May 17. The levels continued to increase through the end of the month, rising to near 5.5 feet above low water datum by May 31.

6. Jan 8, 1998Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Western and central New York was drenched with unprecedented January rainfalls over a 36 hour period. All of the region received between two and four inches of rain...rain which fell on bare, saturated ground. The rapid runoff produced urban flooding as well as flooding of many small streams and creeks. A rainfall record was established at Buffalo. Numerous roads throughout the area were closed due to flood waters. Local firefighting and public works departments were called out to pump water from flooded basements. The floodwaters overwhelmed several area wastewater treatment plants and water emergencies were declared. States of Emergency were also declared in various locations…

7. May 20, 2019Lakeshore Flood, Niagara$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Excessive runoff into the Ottawa River Basin in Canada restricted the outlet of Lake Ontario. This combined with above normal precipitation into the Lake Ontario Basin, record levels on the Great Lakes above Lake Ontario, and higher than normal flows into the lake from the Niagara River pushed the lake to well above normal levels. Over the course of May, the levels quickly approached those reached in 2017.

8. Jun 1, 2019Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Excessive runoff into the Ottawa River Basin in Canada restricted the outlet of Lake Ontario. This combined with above normal precipitation into the Lake Ontario Basin, record levels on the Great Lakes above Lake Ontario, and higher than normal flows into the lake from the Niagara River pushed the lake to well above normal levels. Over the course of June, new records were broken as the lake pushed to nearly 6 feet above low water datum and eclipsed the levels set in 2017. The lake peaked on June 10.

9. Apr 28, 2011High Wind, Niagara$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Following the passage of a strong cold front, strong synoptic winds developed across western New York. The strong winds downed trees and power lines. In Niagara County, several power poles were snapped in the hurricane-force winds. In Alabama, Genesee county, a tractor trailer was blown over by the winds. Specific measured wind gusts included: 83 mph at Niagara Falls Airport; 63 mph at Buffalo Airport and Youngstown; 62 mph at Rochester Airport; 61 mph at Barcelona; 60 mph at Olcott; and 58 mph at Jamestown Airport and Grand Island.

10. Jun 28, 2013Flood$800,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A complex area of low pressure lifted across New York and then stalled near Quebec. The low brought periods of rain with embedded heavier showers and thunderstorms. A nearly stationary boundary lying east-west across Niagara County was the focus for persistent heavy storms during the afternoon. Rain began shortly after noon and continued through eight in the evening. The heaviest rain fell during the two-period between one and three. Rainfall amounts across the southern half of the county totaled one to two inches however the City of Lockport and the southeast corner of the county received around five inches of rain. The city���s sewer and water treatment plant were…

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

99°FAug 27, 1948

All-time low

−20°FFeb 2, 1961

Warmest night

79°FAug 1, 2006

Coldest day

−2°FJan 17, 1982

Wettest day

5.01 inJun 22, 1987

Snowiest day

33.9 inDec 10, 1995

Hottest year

2024mean 53.0°F

Coldest year

1940mean 45.2°F

Wettest year

197753.55 in

Driest year

194126.56 in

Snowiest season

199.4 in1976-77

Station Buffalo (USW00014733), 790 ft elevation, 14.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00014733.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.