116 flood insurance claims·$873,738 paid·1 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 Fulton 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 dominate the flood history of Fulton County, supported by NOAA storm event data recording 20 flash flood events, 19 flood events, and 2 tropical storms over the last 30 years.
Historical events illustrate these risks, such as the slow-moving frontal system in April 2022 that brought widespread rainfall totals of 1.50 to 3.00 inches—with localized amounts exceeding 4.50 inches—and the October-November 2019 system that delivered 2 to 5 inches of rain with isolated amounts up to 7 inches, causing rapid rises on creeks and streams alongside flash flooding.
NFIP claim records indicate that property owners in Zone A face the highest exposure, accounting for 68 claims with an average water depth of 31 inches and an average payout of $9,513. Residents with properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN (25 claims, average water depth of 4 inches, average payout of $14,175) and Zone X_UNSHADED (15 claims, average water depth of 7 inches, average payout of $7,532) should also pay close attention to historical claim patterns when assessing local flood exposure.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
19% of Fulton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
84 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 19 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 2006, with 31 claims and $264,407 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.
17 NOAA storm reports from Fulton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 31, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 26, 2006 |
| 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.
41 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 7, 2022 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 7, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Nov 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jan 12, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2017 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 28, 2011 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 28, 2011 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 7, 2022. A slow moving frontal system produced widespread heavy rainfall and flooding across eastern New York from April 7-8, 2022. Rainfall amounts between 1.50 and 3.00 inches were common, though a few localized areas received upwards of 4.50 inches. Periods of light to moderate rainfall began during the daytime hours on April 7 with the steadiest and heaviest rainfall arriving during the evening hours on April 7 into th…
Flood · Nov 1, 2019. A strengthening low pressure system moving from Ohio to Lake Ontario drew anomalous warmth and moisture northward on Halloween, with temperatures surging into the 60s and 70s over eastern New York and western New England. A large swath of rainfall totaling 2-5 inches, with isolated areas as high as 7 inches, occurred over the Mohawk Valley and southern Adirondacks, resulting in reports of flash flooding. The runof…
Flood · Jan 12, 2018. After a frigid end of December and beginning of January, an unseasonably warm airmass was pumped into New York on January 12th on southerly winds. The temperatures reached the 50s and 60s during the day. Showers also developed in the warm airmass ahead of a cold front and were heavy at times, with some locations receiving one to three inches of rainfall. The combination of warm temperatures and heavy rainfall caus…
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2017. A strong upper-level trough over the Great Lakes was headed towards the Northeast on Friday, August 4th along with a weak cold front. Much of eastern New York was situated with a warm and humid air mass, allowing for the atmosphere to be rather unstable.||Strong to severe thunderstorms developed north and west of the Capital District during the afternoon hours. The leading cell in this activity was particularly…
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 Fulton 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.