970 flood insurance claims·$8.6M 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 Onondaga 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 profile in Onondaga County, accounting for 61 events and 2 deaths compared to 9 standard flood events over the last 30 years. Recent events illustrate this hazard, such as a slow-moving upper-level low pressure system that induced torrential rain-producing thunderstorms on May 6, 2025, and slow-moving cold fronts on August 7, 2023, which produced up to 6 inches of rain in a short time, leading to urban street and drainage system flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrates that risk extends across multiple zones. Zone A recorded the highest claim volume with 561 claims, averaging an $14,681 payout and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 222 claims with an average payout of $3,282 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED logged 91 claims averaging $10,105 with an average water depth of 4 inches, while Zone X recorded 70 claims with the highest average payout at $25,694 and an average water depth of 33 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 26 claims with an average payout of $18,075 and an average water depth of 6 inches. Property owners in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention, given their high claim frequencies and significant average payout and water depth metrics.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Onondaga County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
678 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 7 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 1993, with 190 claims and $1.9M paid.
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.
43 NOAA storm reports from Onondaga County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Fred | Aug 18, 2021 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 26, 2011 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
70 since 1996: 61 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | $80,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 6, 2025. A slow moving upper level low pressure system interacted with a surface frontal boundary to induce torrential rain-producing thunderstorms. These storms moved into Central New York during the afternoon and repeatedly struck the same areas leading to localized flash flooding of roads, ditches and urban 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 7, 2023. Thunderstorms developed ahead of a slow moving cold front tracking through Western and Central New York during the afternoon and evening. Numerous thunderstorm complexes moved over the same locations in Onondaga county producing up to 6 inches of rain in a short amount of time. Much of the area affected was predominantly urbanized land cover. Flooding of streets and drainage systems occurred for several hours.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2021. Slow moving thunderstorms embedded in a stagnant, hot and humid airmass produced torrential rainfall and urban flooding in the Syracuse, NY area.
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 Onondaga 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.