828 flood insurance claims·$4.9M 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 Monroe 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Monroe County, New York. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 56 flash flood events and 42 general flood events, alongside 7 coastal floods and 1 lakeshore flood.
Specific historical events illustrate these risks, such as the June 18, 2025 flash floods caused by slow-moving thunderstorms and heavy rain forming along a Lake Erie lake breeze boundary and a slow-moving cold front over Lake Ontario.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in high-risk Zone A face significant vulnerability, accounting for 536 claims with an average payout of $10,933 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. However, risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas; Zone X properties logged 148 claims with an average payout of $13,833 and an average water depth of 6 inches, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 59 claims averaging $9,520 with an average water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners in both Zone A and Zone X zones should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness given these historical claim and depth averages.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
14% of Monroe County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
622 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 6 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 2017, with 119 claims and $968,108 paid, the year of 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.
94 NOAA storm reports from Monroe County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | May 2, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Ice Storm | Apr 3, 2003 |
| Fires And Explosions | Sep 11, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
106 since 1996: 56 flash floods, 42 river or area floods and 8 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2023 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Oct 30, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Oct 29, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2021 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a Lake Erie lake breeze boundary during the late morning of June 18th. With the very high moisture laden airmass over the area, heavy rain occurred within some of the showers and thunderstorms that developed. Some of the thunderstorms, especially early, trained over the same area long enough to cause flash flooding issues. Additional showers and thunderstorms developed dur…
Flash Flood · Sep 9, 2024. A potent shortwave trough/Mesoscale Convective Vortex tracked southeast across the area, causing showers and thunderstorms for much of the Buffalo forecast area. A few of the thunderstorms became severe with tornado and wind damage, along with rain that was heavy enough to cause Flash Flooding issues.
Flash Flood · Aug 16, 2023. An upper level low pressure system with weak winds and high levels of deep moisture pooling along a weak surface trough resulted in clusters of slow moving thunderstorms over Monroe County during the pre-dawn hours. These storms produced very heavy rain with multiple instances of flash flooding reported across the Rochester Metro. Top rainfall reports included; 3.13 inches at the Rochester Airport, 3.00 inches nea…
Flood · Oct 30, 2021. A broad occluded low advanced northeastward from the Ohio Valley. Easterly moisture feed off the Atlantic ahead of this system brought precipitable water values above 1 inch. A vast area of moderate and occasionally heavy rainfall resulted in areas of flooding.
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 Monroe 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.