493 flood insurance claims·$5.1M 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 Cattaraugus 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 the flood risk in Cattaraugus County, New York. Over a 30-year period recorded in the NOAA Storm Events Database, the county experienced 82 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, compared to 21 general flood events. Recent severe weather illustrates this pattern, including heavy rainfall from slow-moving thunderstorms on June 5, 2025, and training storms along a stalled frontal boundary that caused excessive runoff and flash flooding on June 6, 2025.
Federal insurance claims data shows that flood losses extend across multiple zones. High-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A account for the highest claim volume with 321 filings, averaging $14,745 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties outside mapped high-risk zones also experience flooding, including 41 claims in Zone X_SHADED with an average payout of $22,731 and an average water depth of 6 inches, and 37 claims in Zone X averaging $15,951 with a 14-inch average water depth.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A face the highest frequency of claims, while property owners in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas should also pay close attention due to significant average payouts and recorded water depths during intense rainfall events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Cattaraugus County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
405 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 10 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 1996, with 130 claims and $1.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
86 NOAA storm reports from Cattaraugus County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Nov 18, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Nov 17, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2014 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 8, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
103 since 1996: 82 flash floods and 21 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 6, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 4, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a Lake Erie lake breeze boundary during the late morning of June 18th. With the very high moisture laden airmass over the area, heavy rain occurred within some of the showers and thunderstorms that developed. Some of the thunderstorms, especially early, trained over the same area long enough to cause flash flooding issues. Additional showers and thunderstorms developed dur…
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. The combination of pre-frontal trough, deep moisture and increased instability resulted in the development of showers and thunderstorms on the afternoon of July 13. Thunderstorms stretch from the western Southern Tier to the North Country. At times the thunderstorms became strong to severe with gusty winds and heavy rainfall.
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms causing heavy rainfall developed along a stalled frontal boundary over northern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening on June 6th. Training of heavier rain, along with antecedent conditions in the area, caused excessive runoff, resulting in flash flooding in portions of the western Southern Tier.
Flash Flood · Jun 5, 2025. On the afternoon of June 5th, showers and thunderstorms developed along a cold front slowly crossing the Buffalo forecast area. Some of these thunderstorms became severe causing large hail. Heavy rainfall associated with some of the thunderstorms resulted in flash flooding as well. Hail and flash flooding from the thunderstorms was limited to the western Southern Tier.
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 Cattaraugus 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.