463 flood insurance claims·$9.0M paid·3 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 Otsego 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 severe weather events dominates the flood risk profile of Otsego County, accounting for 67 of the 78 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 11 general flood events. Recent severe weather illustrates this hazard, including a mesoscale convective system in June 2025 that dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain within six hours, causing widespread flash flooding and small river flooding. Another stationary front system triggered heavy thunderstorms in June 2025, resulting in 2 to 3 inches of rain that produced urban and small stream flash flooding alongside road and bridge washouts.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrate that flood risks extend across multiple zones. Zone A leads with 304 claims averaging a 20-inch water depth and a $21,237 payout. Properties in Zone X recorded 61 claims with an average 21-inch water depth and a $25,252 payout, while unshaded Zone X properties recorded 49 claims with an average 13-inch water depth and a $34,026 payout. Additionally, shaded Zone X properties recorded 20 claims with an average 17-inch water depth and a $87,999 payout, and unknown zones recorded 29 claims with an average 1-inch water depth and an $819 payout. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in high-risk Zone A, as well as properties located in Zone X variants where significant water depths and claim payouts indicate substantial vulnerability to flash flooding and localized heavy rainfall.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Otsego County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
373 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 19 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 2006, with 196 claims and $6.1M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
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.
37 NOAA storm reports from Otsego County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 3 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 | May 13, 2014 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
78 since 1996: 67 flash floods and 11 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2025 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $8,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2023 | $10,000 |
— = 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 · Jun 7, 2025. Low pressure moving along a stationary front positioned over South Central New York triggered slow-moving, heavy rain-producing thunderstorms during the early morning hours. Pockets of 2 to 3 inches of rain fell over just a few hours causing urban and small stream flash flooding along with road and bridge washouts.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. A deep plume of tropical moisture had spread over Central New York ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Prolonged torrential rains blanketed the region during the night and early morning hours before becoming enhanced by the approaching tropical remnants. This enhancement of rainfall led to widespread flash flooding in many parts of the region where roads and bridges were destroyed and washed away along…
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.
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 Otsego 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.