304 flood insurance claims·$2.6M 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 Chemung 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 history of Chemung County, with NOAA records showing 42 flash flood events compared to 19 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including an August 2024 stalled frontal system that triggered slow-moving, heavy rain and flash flooding on area roads and small streams in the Elmira-Horseheads area. Similarly, heavy rain from slow-moving thunderstorms in August 2023 produced localized rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches just west of Elmira, overwhelming small streams and severely flooding Interstate 86 near the Horseheads exchange.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk extends across multiple zones. Properties in high-risk Zone A experienced the highest claim volume with 142 claims, averaging a payout of $14,695 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded significant impacts as well, including 55 claims averaging $17,991 with an average water depth of 4 inches, and 21 claims in shaded Zone X averaging $11,971 with an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents near small streams, low-lying roadways, and those situated within both designated Zone A and various Zone X designations should pay the closest attention to local drainage and precipitation events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Chemung County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
186 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 98 claims and $789,574 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Storms High Winds, Rain 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Chemung 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 |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 26, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jul 21, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 42 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 31, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2020 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2020 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2018 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2018 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2018 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 31, 2024. A complex frontal system stalled over the Central Southern Tier of New York during the late afternoon and evening. This system triggered slow moving, heavy rain producing thunderstorms in the Elmira-Horseheads area which caused areas of flash flooding on area roads and small streams.
Flash Flood · Aug 28, 2023. A weak disturbance moving through the upper atmosphere across southern New York combined with an unusually warm and moist airmass to produce several rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms over Chemung county. A very localized total of 2 to 3 inches of rain fell just to the west of Elmira, NY. The runoff from this heavy rain overwhelmed several small streams near the Horseheads exchange along I-86. The Inter…
Flood · Apr 30, 2020. Heavy rainfall from an approaching weather system persisted for several hours. A locally enhanced line of thunderstorm activity triggered rapid and enhanced flooding in a few locations.
Flash Flood · Aug 10, 2020. Isolated thunderstorms developed across the Southern Tier of New York during the afternoon. Storm cells redeveloped over Chemung county for nearly 4 hours that afternoon producing localized rain amounts over 3 inches in a short period of time.
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 Chemung 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.