County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency

Total Area

The County of Chautauqua has a total area of 1,500 square miles, with 1,060 square miles of land and 440 square miles of water.

Rivers

Chautauqua County boasts no significant industrial rivers, but its Chadakoin River does serve several recreational possibilities in Jamestown. The county is also lined in creeks, several offering access to fishing.

Lakes

Chautauqua Lake is a lake entirely inside the county, approximately 17 miles long and 2 miles wide at its greatest width. The lake is featured for its recreational purposes, including boating, fishing, tourism, and events, including the Chautauqua Institution.

Image from wrfalp.com

Image by Jeremy Martin - taken from chautauqualakeassociation.org

Lake Erie covers the entire western border of the county, boasting 48 miles of shoreline.

Images by Ken Winters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library

Geographic Features

Chautauqua Ridge

Part of the Eastern Continental Divide runs through Chautauqua County. The area that drains into the Conewango Creek (including Chautauqua Lake) empties eventually to the Mississippi River and then the Gulf of Mexico; the rest of the county's watershed empties into Lake Erie and via Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway, into the North Atlantic Ocean. This divide, known as the Chautauqua Ridge, can be used to mark the border between the Southern Tier and the Niagara Frontier.

Safety & Preparedness

The Office of Emergency Services in Chautauqua County works closely with the entire emergency services community in the county to ensure citizens safety whenever the need arises. The office maintains a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan to maximize a timely and effective response to major emergencies and disasters.

Did You Know?

The name “Chautauqua” is a Native American (Iroquois) word meaning “a bag tied in the middle” or “two moccasins tied together.”
The Chautauqua Creek boasts the highest catch rate of steelhead trout in NYS.

Temperature

	Avg High (°F)	Avg Low (°F)	Mean (°F)	Heat Deg Day	Cool Deg Day
Jan	31.9	14.5	23.2	1296	0
Feb	34.8	14.9	24.8	1124	0
Mar	43.7	22.1	32.9	995	0
Apr	56.9	33.3	45.1	599	2
May	67.8	42.0	54.9	329	16
Jun	76.3	52.1	64.2	101	77
Jul	80.0	55.9	67.9	33	125
Aug	79.0	54.7	66.8	47	104
Sep	71.8	47.3	59.6	194	30
Oct	59.7	37.5	48.6	511	2
Nov	47.9	29.8	38.9	785	0
Dec	35.8	20.7	28.2	1139	0

Temperature Extremes, Annual Number of Days

	Days
High > 90°F (Num. of Days)	4
Low < 32°F (Num. of Days)	154
Low < 0°F (Num. of Days)	10

Precipitation

	Precip Total "	Snowfall Total "	Days Precip ≥ 0.01"	Days Precip ≥ 0.5"	Days Snow Depth ≥ 10"
Jan	3.7	41.3	20.2	1.4	13.3
Feb	2.8	21.9	15.7	1.0	10.3
Mar	3.5	20.5	16.4	1.8	5.2
Apr	3.9	5.5	15.2	2.4	0.0
May	4.0	0.4	13.1	3.0	0.0
Jun	4.4	0.0	12.9	3.1	0.0
Jul	4.8	0.0	12.0	3.2	0.0
Aug	3.9	0.0	12.3	2.8	0.0
Sep	4.8	0.0	13.5	3.7	0.0
Oct	4.4	1.0	14.2	2.6	0.0
Nov	4.8	14.4	16.6	3.6	1.3
Dec	4.7	40.9	19.8	2.4	7.7

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