States › New York › Tompkins County › Flood
Flood in Tompkins County, New York
40 floods and flash floods events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Flood, Flash Flood, Coastal Flood, Lakeshore Flood.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Tompkins County, New York, has 40 flood events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 18 different years.
August is the busiest month, with 8 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 27 events against 13 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.6% of the 6,836 flood events recorded in New York; its 8.4 per 100 square miles compares with 14.5 statewide.
Compared with New York
| Measure | Tompkins County | New York | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood events since 1950 | 40 | 6,836 | 183,559 |
| Per 100 square miles | 8.4 | 14.5 | 5.2 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 3.8 | 3.4 | 5.5 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 117 | 2,961 |
| Busiest month | August | July | June |
By year
Seasonality
2Feb
0Mar
3Apr
3May
2Jun
6Jul
7Aug
8Sep
2Oct
4Nov
2Dec
1
Recorded events
All 40 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2026 | Flash Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Jul 2025 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Jun 2025 | Flash Flood | — | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Dec 2023 | Flash Flood | — | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Oct 2021 | Flash Flood | — | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Oct 2021 | Flash Flood | — | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Oct 2021 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Oct 2021 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Apr 2020 | Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Apr 2020 | Flood | — | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Aug 2019 | Flash Flood | — | $40K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Aug 2019 | Flash Flood | — | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Jul 2017 | Flash Flood | — | $75K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jul 2017 | Flash Flood | — | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jul 2015 | Flash Flood | — | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jul 2015 | Flash Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Jun 2015 | Flash Flood | — | $1.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Aug 2014 | Flash Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2013 | Flash Flood | — | $20K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2013 | Flash Flood | — | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2013 | Flash Flood | — | $75K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2013 | Flash Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Sep 2011 | Flash Flood | — | $400K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Sep 2011 | Flash Flood | — | $20K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Aug 2007 | Flash Flood | — | $1K | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Nov 2006 | Flash Flood | — | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jul 2006 | Flash Flood | — | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Jun 2006 | Flash Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Apr 2005 | Flash Flood | — | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jan 2005 | Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 22 Jul 2003 | Flash Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jun 2002 | Flood | — | $2K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 2002 | Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 May 2002 | Flood | — | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jun 2000 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Nov 1996 | Flash Flood | — | $900K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 May 1996 | Flash Flood | — | $12K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jan 1996 | Flash Flood | — | $19M | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many flood events has Tompkins County had?
40 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of floods and flash floods became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded flood event in Tompkins County?
31 Mar 2026 (Flash Flood). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging flood event recorded in Tompkins County?
The flash flood of 19 Jan 1996, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $19M.
How does Tompkins County compare with New York for flood?
8.4 events per 100 square miles against 14.5 statewide; the county holds 40 of the state's 6,836 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Flood hub and the county page.