2,032 flood insurance claims·$26.6M paid·8 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 Orange 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 Orange County, New York, accounting for 121 recorded events and two total flood-related deaths over the last 30 years, alongside 31 general flood events, two tropical storms, and one coastal flood event.
Recent events illustrate this severe weather pattern. On July 9, 2023, a stalled frontal boundary produced multiple rounds of torrential rainfall with rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour, resulting in 3 to 5 inches of rain over several hours and upwards of 8 inches in isolated spots. Later, on July 14, 2025, a weak front brought heavy rainfall totals between 4 and 6.5 inches with rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, followed by another flash flood event on July 31, 2025, caused by a slow-moving frontal boundary that stranded vehicles and closed multiple roads.
Properties in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas should pay the most attention, as evidenced by FEMA National Flood Insurance Program data showing Zone A with the highest impact at 1,053 claims with an average payout of $21,024 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. However, properties outside high-risk zones also face significant risk; Zone X, Zone X Unshaded, and Zone X Shaded combined account for 573 claims with average payouts ranging from $13,626 to $19,504 and average water depths between 10 and 13 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Orange County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,267 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 2011, with 589 claims and $13.4M 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.
60 NOAA storm reports from Orange County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
36 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Jennings Creek Fire | Nov 8, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jul 9, 2023 |
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 13, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
155 since 1996: 121 flash floods, 31 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | — · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Sep 8, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A slow moving frontal boundary moved over the local area triggering heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across NJ and NYC causing flash flooding across the area resulting in vehicles being stranded and multiple road closures.
Flash Flood · Jul 14, 2025. A weak front approached from the west along with PW of 2 inches resulting in heavy rainfall across the area. 4 to 6.5 inches of rainfall totals were reported with rainfall rates between 1 to 2 inches.
Flash Flood · Dec 18, 2023. A warm front ahead of a developing coastal low pressure system positions itself over the area late on December 17th and into December 18th. As the low pressure intensified and approached, significant amounts of moisture focused along the warm front ahead of the coastal low resulting in widespread areas of heavy rainfall that occurred over a 12-18 hour period. PWATs were 1.5-1.7 inches which were near record values…
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2023. A stationary front near the area forced torrential thunderstorms in a tropical airmass resulting in widespread flash flooding in NY. The first round of thunderstorms occurred early in the morning on July 16th. Another round of thunderstorms occurred later in the afternoon. The tropical airmass had CAPE values 1500 - 2000 J/kg with PWATs 2.2-2.4 inches. The torrential thunderstorms produced rainfall rates as much a…
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 Orange 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.