40 flood insurance claims·$178,511 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 Franklin 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 standard riverine flooding are equally prevalent in Franklin County, each accounting for 26 recorded events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database. Severe weather events are driven by heavy rainfall, slow-moving cold fronts, and tropical moisture remnants. For example, the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby produced excessive rainfall of 3 to 7 inches on August 9, 2024, damaging over 100 roads, destroying several bridges, and prompting swift water rescues. Additionally, torrential convective rainfall caused significant flooding and flash flooding in eastern Franklin County on July 2, 2023, while thunderstorms impacted the Malone area on June 23, 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties located in FEMA Zone A experienced the highest volume of claims with 20 filings, resulting in an average payout of $8,913 and an average
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
20% of Franklin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
25 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 1998, with 6 claims and $8,814 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Franklin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 8, 2024 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
52 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 26 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 2, 2023 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2022 | $80,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 21, 2018 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2018 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2018 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2018 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2017 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 9, 2024. The remnants of TS Debby tracked through St. Lawrence County during the afternoon/early evening of August 9, 2024. This produced a 50-75 mile swath of excessive rainfall from 3 to 7 inches which led to widespread flash flooding. Subsequent information indicated over 100 roads damaged or washed out with several bridges damaged and/or destroyed. Some flood damage to homes also occurred in a few locations along with…
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.
Flash Flood · Jun 23, 2022. A slow moving cold front pushed into the St. Lawrence Valley and northern Adirondacks during the morning hours of June 23, 2022. Bands of showers and thunderstorms, some with moderate to locally heavy rainfall were observed in this region, especially in the vicinity of Malone, NY.
Flash Flood · Feb 21, 2018. An ice jam formed in the Little Salmon River in Fort Covington in January and remained in place through February. In late February the combination of record warmth, rainfall, and rapid snow melt caused significant rises on the little Salmon River which was already jammed from January. This caused flooding of the town of Fort Convington and evacuations were performed.
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 Franklin 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.