288 flood insurance claims·$8.8M 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 Montgomery 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.
Flooding driven by standard floods and flash flooding dominates the historical record in Montgomery County, NY, supported by 89 flood events, 59 flash flood events resulting in 2 deaths, and 1 tropical storm recorded over the last 30 years. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including a coastal low-pressure system in March 2024 that brought 1 to 2 inches of rain and localized areal flooding, as well as a low-pressure system in April 2024 that produced heavy rain and minor flooding along State Route 5.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrates that property damage extends across multiple zones. Zone A recorded the highest impact with 177 claims averaging $46,835 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Properties in Zone X experienced 27 claims with an average payout of $34,921 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches, while Zone X_SHADED saw 26 claims averaging $22,354 with an average depth of 12 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 22 claims averaging $24,002 with an average depth of 3 inches, and properties with unknown zones accounted for 36 claims averaging $5,219 with an average depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risk, given the higher average payouts and significant recorded water depths associated with claims in these areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Montgomery County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
225 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 2011, with 69 claims and $2.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene and Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee.
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.
53 NOAA storm reports from Montgomery County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1987, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| 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 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 14, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
149 since 1996: 59 flash floods and 89 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Mar 7, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $3,000 |
| Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Feb 22, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 7, 2025. A frontal boundary stalled to the south of the ALY County Warning Area, in tandem with several mid- and upper-level disturbances generated widespread heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms across eastern New York on June 6 and 7. Prolonged, moderate to locally heavy downpours lead to widespread poor drainage and urban flooding with numerous roadways and residential roadways becoming inundated with standing wat…
Flood · Apr 12, 2024. A low pressure system brought periods of rain, some heavy, to eastern New York on April 12, 2024 resulting in some minor flooding along State Route 5 in Montgomery County.
Flood · Mar 7, 2024. A coastal low pressure system brought a widespread rainfall to eastern New York during the early morning hours on March 7, 2024. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain fell across the area. This rain was enough to result in some localized areal flooding.
Flood · Jul 29, 2023. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary during the afternoon hours on July 29th across eastern New York. One lone thunderstorm tracked across the Mohawk Valley resulting in numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines as well as a couple of flood reports. Prior to the arrival of these thunderstorms, the combination of hot and humid conditions resulted in heat index values between 95 and 100…
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 Montgomery 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.