1,069 flood insurance claims·$16.2M 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 Oneida 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 risk in Oneida County, New York, accounting for 100 out of 131 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 31 general flood events. Recent events illustrate this pattern, including a June 2025 mesoscale convective system that dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain within a 6-hour period, producing widespread flash and small river flooding, as well as slow-moving thunderstorms in July 2025 that caused flooded roads, culverts, and bridge washouts.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with Zone A experiencing the highest volume at 717 claims with an average payout of $20,168 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties in Zone X also recorded significant impacts, including 91 claims averaging a $37,101 payout with an average water depth of 3 inches, and 69 claims in Zone X shaded averaging an $11,524 payout with an average water depth of 8 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in high-risk Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness, while property owners in Zone X zones should also take note, as moderate-risk areas have recorded substantial average claim payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
14% of Oneida County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
833 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 8 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 189 claims and $3.1M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds 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.
60 NOAA storm reports from Oneida County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Nov 18, 2022 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Fred | Aug 18, 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 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 26, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
131 since 1996: 100 flash floods and 31 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2024 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2024 | $1,000 |
— = 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 · Jul 13, 2025. A warm and unstable environment ahead of an approaching cold front supported the development of scattered thunderstorms. Weak steering winds contributed to slow moving storms repeating over the same areas which contributed to areas of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Several locations around central New York reported flooded roads along with washouts of culverts and small bridges.
Flash Flood · Jul 24, 2024. A frontal boundary supported scattered thunderstorms across Central New York. Ahead of the front, an unstable environment triggered rounds of repeating, heavy rain producing thunderstorms that moved over the same areas. Rainfall totals of 2-3 inches fell in less than 3 hours which contributed to localized flash and urban flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2024. Deep moisture combined with an approaching cold front and a favorable position of the jet stream triggered numerous heavy rain producing thunderstorms over Central New York. Locally heavy rainfall totaled between 3 and 4 inches over a short period of time which caused 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 Oneida 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.