265 flood insurance claims·$1.5M paid·6 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 Cayuga 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 and river flooding driven by heavy rainfall and ice jams dominate the flood profile of Cayuga County, New York, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 45 flash flood events and 1 death, 12 standard floods, 7 coastal floods, and 3 lakeshore floods over the last 30 years. Recent events illustrate these hazards, such as a February 2025 flood when an ice jam along Great Gully Brook caused flooding along Great Gully Cove Road and Fire Lane number 8, requiring excavators to disrupt the jam. Additionally, a slow-moving upper-level low pressure system and frontal boundary brought torrential rain and repeated thunderstorms in May 2025, leading to localized flash flooding of roads, ditches, and urban areas.
NFIP claims data shows that property owners in high-risk Zone A should pay the most attention, accounting for the vast majority of historical claims with 158 filings averaging a $9,600 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. However, properties in Zone X also face significant risk, recording 40 claims with an average payout of $12,403 and an average water depth of 15 inches. Additional claims occurred in unshaded Zone X, shaded Zone X, and unknown zones, indicating that flood risks extend beyond standard high-risk mapping boundaries.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
19% of Cayuga County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
194 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 5 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 1993, with 62 claims and $454,726 paid.
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.
50 NOAA storm reports from Cayuga County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Fred | Aug 18, 2021 |
| Flooding | May 2, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 2, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Snow | Jan 28, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
67 since 1996: 45 flash floods, 12 river or area floods and 10 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Feb 26, 2025 | $35,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $150,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Feb 26, 2025. Local officials reported an ice jam along Great Gully Brook near where the brook enters into Cayuga Lake. Flooding extended along Great Gully Cove Road and Fire Lane number 8 from the walking bridge to the lake shore. Excavators were brought into the scene to assist with disrupting the jam and mitigating flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2025. A slow-moving cold front arrived during the evening hours, moving into a very moist environment. The unstable atmosphere produced several thunderstorms, a few of which produced torrential rainfall and localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2025. A slow moving upper level low pressure system interacted with a surface frontal boundary to induce torrential rain-producing thunderstorms. These storms moved into Central New York during the afternoon and repeatedly struck the same areas leading to localized flash flooding of roads, ditches and urban areas.
Flash Flood · Jul 15, 2024. A thunderstorm complex and an upper-level wave moved through the region triggering widespread showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours. These features produced a few slow moving thunderstorms near the Finger Lakes region which dropped 2-4 inches of heavy rain in less than two hours.
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 Cayuga 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.