313 flood insurance claims·$4.7M paid·5 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 Madison 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 frequent severe storms dominates the flood character of Madison County, New York. Over the last 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data records 49 flash flood events compared to only 4 general flood events. A notable example occurred in June 2025, when a mesoscale convective system dropped 3 to 5 inches of rainfall within a 6-hour period, producing widespread flash flooding and small river flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk is heavily concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 247 filings, an average payout of $21,392, and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Properties located in lower-risk or unclassified zones also experience impacts; Zone UNKNOWN recorded 30 claims with an average payout of $2,331 and an average water depth of 1 inch, Zone X_SHADED recorded 14 claims averaging $5,934 with an average water depth of 4 inches, Zone X recorded 12 claims averaging $10,842 with an average water depth of 6 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 10 claims averaging $9,041 with an average water depth of 9 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, which face the highest frequency and severity of water damage, while remaining aware that properties in lower-risk Zone X and unclassified zones are also vulnerable to significant storm-driven water accumulation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Madison County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
271 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 12 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 2013, with 102 claims and $3.5M 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Madison County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 5 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 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 26, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 26, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 2, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 49 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 31, 2019 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2025. A mesoscale convective system (MCS) dropped southward across Central NY from eastern Ontario, moving into an environment with plenty of moisture and instability during the early morning hours. Torrential rainfall accompanied these storms and produced widespread flash flooding and small river flooding. Estimates of 3 to 5 inches, with locally higher amounts, fell mostly within a 6-hour period.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2025. A cold front moving into a very warm and humid airmass over Central New York triggered scattered torrential rain-producing thunderstorms. Some storms repeatedly moved over the same areas.
Flash Flood · Dec 18, 2023. Low pressure moved north along the Atlantic Seaboard spreading steady and heavy rain into central New York during the overnight hours. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were observed along with a considerable amount of melting snow into area rivers and streams. Widespread flash flooding and river flooding occurred during this event.
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2021. Hurricane Henri moved up the U.S. Atlantic coast and over parts of southeast New York on August 22 to 23, 2021. Bands of heavy rainfall crossed through parts of central New York producing flooding in some locations.
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 Madison 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.