Enter any address in Jefferson County, New York to see its FEMA flood zone
Flood events, including flash flooding, are the most frequent type of severe weather in Jefferson County, NY, based on NOAA Storm Events data from the last 30 years. These events have resulted in 19 recorded floods and 10 flash floods, with one fatality. For example, the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby brought heavy rain and flash flooding to the region in August 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties designated as Zone A have experienced the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $14,659 and an average water depth of 2.5 feet. However, properties in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X have also seen significant claims, with higher average water depths of 7.4 feet, suggesting that flood risk is not confined to areas with the highest hazard designation.
Homeowners in Zone A, as well as those in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X, should pay close attention to flood risk. Additionally, residents in areas prone to coastal flooding or lakeshore flooding, given the 7 and 5 recorded events respectively, should remain aware of potential hazards.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
33 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Jefferson County, New York has recorded 41 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 10 flash floods and 19 river or area floods. The county has received 21 federal disaster declarations, 3 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby | Tropical Storm | Aug 8, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Winter Storm | Nov 18, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Oct 31, 2019 |
| Flooding | Flood | May 2, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Snowstorm | Nov 17, 2014 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Hurricane | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 13, 2004 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | Dec 11, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 27, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 21, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 20, 2019 | 1500.00K |
| Flood | May 17, 2019 | 500.00K |
| Flood | Nov 2, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 1, 2019 | 25.00K |
Flood — Aug 9, 2024
The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby tracked northeast across Central New York on Friday August 9. As the system tracked across the region, heavy rain pushed into parts of the forecast area, with the heaviest rain falling over the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and up to the North Central New York areas. Flash Flooding was the primary threat from the remnants of the system, but some strong to se...
Flash Flood — Aug 9, 2024
The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby tracked northeast across Central New York on Friday August 9. As the system tracked across the region, heavy rain pushed into parts of the forecast area, with the heaviest rain falling over the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and up to the North Central New York areas. Flash Flooding was the primary threat from the remnants of the system, but some strong to se...
Flood — Mar 28, 2021
While snowfall was well below normal for the season, there were still several inches of liquid equivalent in the snowpack on the Tug Hill coming into the end of March. This rapidly melted with a brief and abrupt warm up toward the end of the month, resulting in a rapid but short-lived rise on the Black River in Watertown on March 28-29. The Black River crested at 10.1 feet, which is just slight...
Lakeshore Flood — Dec 11, 2021
Two Pacific shortwave troughs promoted the formation and deepening of a surface low that tracked from the Great Plains, across southern Lake Michigan, and eventually to near James Bay while deepening below 980 mb. This pushed a strong cold front crossed our region. A strong isallobaric couplet with large pressure rises and a low-level jet of 75 knots just a few thousand feet off the ground supp...
Lakeshore Flood — Nov 27, 2019
Strong low pressure moved from the central Great Lakes to north of Lake Ontario. The trailing cold front entered western New York early in the afternoon of 11/27 and swept through later that evening. While the track of the surface low was very favorable, the event was atypical in that the surface low reached its maximum intensity across the western Great Lakes and filled quite rapidly by the ti...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Jefferson County, New York:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Jefferson County, New York that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.