377 flood insurance claims·$4.7M paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Albany County, New York. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from severe weather and persistent heavy rainfall dominates the flood character of Albany County, New York. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 118 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 87 general flood events with 1 death, 2 tropical storm events, and 1 storm surge or tide event. Recent conditions are exemplified by June 2025, when a stalled frontal boundary combined with upper-level disturbances to produce prolonged, moderate to locally heavy downpours. This weather pattern caused widespread poor drainage and urban flooding, leaving numerous roadways and residential streets inundated with standing water.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk zones. Zone A accounts for 210 claims with an average payout of $14,937 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Meanwhile, properties designated as Zone X, Zone X_UNSHADED, and Zone X_SHADED accumulated a combined 154 claims, with average payouts ranging from $17,027 to $23,675 and average recorded water depths between 4 and 11 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 11 claims with an average payout of $958 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents should note that properties in both mapped high-risk zones and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas have experienced significant claims and water accumulation, requiring careful attention to individual property elevation and drainage conditions.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
28% of Albany County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
295 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2011, with 95 claims and $2.0M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene and Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
111 NOAA storm reports from Albany County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1987, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 11, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 14, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
208 since 1996: 118 flash floods, 87 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2024 | $500 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2025. A frontal boundary stalled to the south of the ALY County Warning Area, in tandem with several mid- and upper-level disturbances generated widespread heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms across eastern New York on June 6 and 7. Prolonged, moderate to locally heavy downpours lead to widespread poor drainage and urban flooding with numerous roadways and residential roadways becoming inundated with standing wat…
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. A frontal boundary stalled to the south of the ALY County Warning Area, in tandem with several mid- and upper-level disturbances generated widespread heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms across eastern New York on June 6 and 7. Prolonged, moderate to locally heavy downpours lead to widespread poor drainage and urban flooding with numerous roadways and residential roadways becoming inundated with standing wat…
Flood · Aug 19, 2024. A cold front tracked through eastern New York on August 19, 2024, forcing the development of scattered showers and broken lines of thunderstorms. Multiple rounds of heavy downpours impacted northeast Albany County, leading to a few instances of flooding and flash flooding just outside the city of Albany and within the town of Colonie. Flooded roadways led to traffic delays.
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2024. A cold front tracked through eastern New York on August 19, 2024, forcing the development of scattered showers and broken lines of thunderstorms. Multiple rounds of heavy downpours impacted northeast Albany County, leading to a few instances of flooding and flash flooding just outside the city of Albany and within the town of Colonie. Flooded roadways led to traffic delays.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Albany County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.