221 flood insurance claims·$2.5M 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 Oswego 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 and river flooding from heavy rainfall dominate the flood history of Oswego County, supported by NOAA records detailing 26 flash flood events, 23 general flood events, 7 coastal flood events, and 5 lakeshore flood events over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby, which tracked northeast across Central New York in August 2024, bringing heavy rain and prompting multiple flash flooding reports across the region.
Federal insurance data demonstrates that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas, though Zone A properties bear the heaviest financial and physical toll with 129 recorded NFIP claims averaging $22,768 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Moderate- and low-risk zones also experience significant water intrusion; Zone X properties recorded 32 claims with an average payout of $16,682 and an average water depth of 13 inches, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 28 claims averaging $5,523 with an average water depth of 8 inches. Shaded Zone X properties recorded 9 claims averaging $5,310 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and unknown zones recorded 23 claims averaging $1,938 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to flood risks, as these areas account for the vast majority of severe water depths and insurance payouts in the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Oswego County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
166 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 11 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 31 claims and $109,695 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.
56 NOAA storm reports from Oswego 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, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storm And Flooding | Aug 18, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Nov 18, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Oct 31, 2019 |
| Flooding | May 2, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Feb 2, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
61 since 1996: 26 flash floods, 23 river or area floods and 12 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Aug 19, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Dec 11, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 9, 2024. The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby tracked northeast across Central New York on Friday August 9. As the system tracked across the region, heavy rain pushed into parts of the forecast area, with the heaviest rain falling over the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and up to the North Central New York areas. Flash Flooding was the primary threat from the remnants of the system, but some strong to severe thunderstorms a…
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby tracked northeast across Central New York on Friday August 9. As the system tracked across the region, heavy rain pushed into parts of the forecast area, with the heaviest rain falling over the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and up to the North Central New York areas. Flash Flooding was the primary threat from the remnants of the system, but some strong to severe thunderstorms a…
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2023. A sharp upper level disturbance helped spawn slow moving showers and thunderstorms southeast of Lake Ontario over Oswego county. Very heavy rain was centered over central portions of Ontario County. There were numerous reports of closed roads. The highest rainfall reports received were 4.54 inches near Palermo and Phoenix with 3.54 inches near Mexico.
Flood · Oct 8, 2023. Heavy lake effect rain east of Lake Ontario caused flooding to occur in Oswego County. With cooler air aloft over the much warmer lake waters of Lake Ontario and with a vertically stacked low pressure system at the surface and mid-levels in place, a strong lake response developed east of Lake Ontario. This resulted in periods of heavy rain for Oswego County, resulting in flooding issues along County Route 20. Some…
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 Oswego 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.