6,319 flood insurance claims·$328.2M 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 Kings 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 severe weather events dominates the flood risk profile of Kings County, NY, accounting for 71 events and 3 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside coastal flooding which has caused 5 deaths across 14 events.
Recent NOAA storm records illustrate this recurring hazard. On July 31, 2025, a slow-moving frontal boundary triggered heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, causing flash flooding that stranded vehicles and closed multiple roads. Later that year on October 30, 2025, a widespread rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches from a frontal system resulted in additional flooding across the NYC metro area.
National Flood Insurance Program records show significant claim history across multiple zones, led by Zone A with 3,226 claims averaging an $83,699 payout and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Zone X accounts for 1,715 claims with an average payout of $50,053 and an average water depth of 13 inches, while Shaded Zone X records show 260 claims averaging $74,178 with an average water depth of 15 inches. Consequently, coastal property owners, as well as residents in Zone A and Zone X flood zones, should pay the closest attention to these risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Kings County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
3,616 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 14 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 2012, with 3,583 claims and $305.2M paid, the year of Hurricane Sandy.
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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Kings County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Sep 28, 2023 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Sep 16, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornado | Aug 8, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
105 since 1996: 71 flash floods, 15 river or area floods and 15 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 30, 2025 | — · 1 killed |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 29, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | — · 1 killed |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A slow moving frontal boundary moved over the local area triggering heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across NJ and NYC causing flash flooding across the area resulting in vehicles being stranded and multiple road closures.
Flash Flood · Oct 30, 2025. A widespread rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches resulted in flooding as a frontal system triggered thunderstorms across the NYC Metro area.
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2024. Strong low pressure shifted northeast through the eastern Great Lakes on January 13, 2024, sending a warm front through during the morning hours, followed quickly by a cold front. Strong winds produced by this system, combined with peaking high astronomical tides associated with a recent new moon, produced widespread moderate to major coastal flooding along the entire southeast New York coastline and along the Low…
Coastal Flood · Jan 10, 2024. Strong low pressure moving northeast from the Mid Atlantic region to southern New England during the night of January 9, 2024 into the early morning hours of January 10, 2024 produced high winds, which combined with high astronomical tides associated with an upcoming new moon to produce widespread moderate to major coastal flooding along the south shore of Long Island and along the Hudson River in Southeast New York.
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 Kings 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.