3,103 flood insurance claims·$136.9M paid·8 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 Broome 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 summer thunderstorms dominates Broome County, with NOAA records showing 156 flash flood events and 7 deaths, alongside 73 general flood events over the last 30 years. Slow-moving thunderstorms driven by weak steering winds have repeatedly caused heavy rainfall, resulting in flooded roads and washouts of culverts and small bridges, such as during the events recorded in July 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks extend across multiple zones. Zone A leads with 1,446 claims averaging a payout of $46,280 and an average recorded water depth of 23 inches. Moderate-to-low risk zones also experience significant impacts, including 757 claims in Zone X_SHADED with an average payout of $55,255 and an average water depth of 24 inches; 438 claims in Zone X averaging $55,017 with an average water depth of 20 inches; and 370 claims in Zone X_UNSHADED averaging $49,920 with an average water depth of 19 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas where substantial payouts and water depths demonstrate significant flood exposure outside of designated high-risk zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
44% of Broome County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,573 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 23 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 1,416 claims and $91.9M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds 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.
137 NOAA storm reports from Broome County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
30 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 8, 2024 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 26, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 26, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
229 since 1996: 156 flash floods and 73 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $40,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. A warm and unstable environment ahead of an approaching cold front supported the development of scattered thunderstorms. Weak steering winds contributed to slow moving storms repeating over the same areas which contributed to areas of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Several locations around central New York reported flooded roads along with washouts of culverts and small bridges.
Flash Flood · Jul 24, 2024. A frontal boundary supported scattered thunderstorms across Central New York. Ahead of the front, an unstable environment triggered rounds of repeating, heavy rain producing thunderstorms that moved over the same areas. Rainfall totals of 2-3 inches fell in less than 3 hours which contributed to localized flash and urban flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. A deep plume of tropical moisture had spread over Central New York ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Prolonged torrential rains blanketed the region during the night and early morning hours before becoming enhanced by the approaching tropical remnants. This enhancement of rainfall led to widespread flash flooding in many parts of the region where roads and bridges were destroyed and washed away along…
Flood · Aug 9, 2024. A deep plume of tropical moisture had spread over Central New York ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Prolonged torrential rains blanketed the region during the night and early morning hours before becoming enhanced by the approaching tropical remnants. This enhancement of rainfall led to widespread flash flooding in many parts of the region where roads and bridges were destroyed and washed away along…
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 Broome 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.