296 flood insurance claims·$5.2M paid·4 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 Clinton 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from summer storms dominate the flood risk in Clinton County, New York, where NOAA records show 42 standard floods, 37 flash floods resulting in two deaths, and 4 lakeshore floods over the last 30 years. Recent significant events include torrential convective rainfall on July 2, 2023, which caused notable flash flooding particularly in the Ellenburg area, as well as multiple rounds of heavy rainfall totaling two to five inches that led to scattered flash flooding between July 9 and July 11, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that high-risk Zone A properties have experienced the highest frequency with 153 claims averaging a payout of $24,947 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded 77 claims with an average payout of $30,330 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches, and properties with an unknown zone recorded 32 claims with an average payout of $4,176 and an average water depth of 10 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 23 claims averaging $12,431 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_SHADED recorded 11 claims averaging $9,302 with an average water depth of 3 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in high-risk Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to these flood risks, alongside property owners in Zone X who have experienced substantial average claim payouts and water depths.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Clinton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
187 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 6 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 83 claims and $3.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds and Hurricane Irene.
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.
53 NOAA storm reports from Clinton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 9, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 26, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
83 since 1996: 37 flash floods, 42 river or area floods and 4 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2023 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 18, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 30, 2017 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2024. The remnants of TS Beryl combined with deep tropical moisture and a stationary front draped across the region produced multiple rounds of heavy showers and storms. This led to numerous reports of flash flooding, some locally severe across portions of eastern New York, mainly in Essex County.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2023. Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall affected portions of northeastern New York from late afternoon of the 9th through the early morning hours on the 11th. During the roughly 36-hour period, two to as much as five inches of rain affected these counties in several bursts. This led to scattered areas of flash flooding, some significant to severe.
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2023. Several clusters of training showers and thunderstorms, some with torrential rainfall affected portions of Clinton County, NY on the afternoon of July 7, 2023. Areas around Altona, NY and Dannemora, NY were affected by flash flooding after several inches of rain was observed.
Flash Flood · Jul 2, 2023. Several rounds of torrential, convective rainfall affected portions of west central Clinton, and eastern Franklin Counties during the early morning and afternoon hours of July 2, 2023. Flooding and flash flooding, some significant, occurred in this area, particularly in the Ellenburg, NY area.
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 Clinton 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.