Is letchworth likely to flood

Answer 1

Letchworth has had a history of flooding. The most notable was The Great Flood '72, a hurricane (I believe Hurricane Angus) developed and hit the coast of Florida. In most cases Hurricanes die out before reaching us in upstate New York but this one did not, and it dumped an extreme amount of rain over a short period of time. The Genesee river which is usually able to handle large amounts of rain, failed at doing so and the river water level rose to unproceeded depth. The park was hit hard, the Middle Falls was unreconizable and the water was so deep that the water fall itself was only 3 feet tall! The water level at the Dam was only 3 or so feet from overflowing the top. Scars can still be seen at the park to this day.

But to answer your question...the river itself does experience a rise in water levels each year, most times the rise causes no damage, and only happens when the snow melts and the rain begins. However, the risk of a flood is always there. If you live around the area, just keep an eye on the news when rain is expected, flash floods, though rare in the area can happen. The chances of a major flood though, I would say is 3/10. The risk is always there, but its not something to loose sleep over.