14,948 flood insurance claims·$694.4M paid·7 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 Queens 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 heavy rainfall dominates the flood profile of Queens County, with 155 recorded flash flood events and 13 deaths over the last 30 years, alongside coastal floods, general floods, tropical storms, and storm surges. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms associated with a slow-moving frontal boundary caused flash flooding, stranded vehicles, and multiple road closures in July 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 8,742 claims with an average payout of $55,540 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. Zone X accounts for 3,399 claims with an average payout of $67,156 and an average recorded water depth of 13 inches, while Zone X shaded includes 983 claims averaging $62,989 with an average water depth of 14 inches. Zone X unshaded records 365 claims averaging $39,888 with an average water depth of 10 inches, and unknown zones record 1,431 claims averaging $3,506 with an average water depth of 4 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in high-risk coastal and riverine areas within Zone A, as well as those in Zone X and shaded Zone X where significant average water depths and insurance claims indicate substantial flood exposure.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Queens County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
10,118 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 14 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 2012, with 7,717 claims and $618.5M paid, the year of Hurricane Sandy.
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.
72 NOAA storm reports from Queens County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | Aug 4, 2020 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 26, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Sep 16, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornado | Aug 8, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
206 since 1996: 155 flash floods, 18 river or area floods and 29 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 14, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 13, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 30, 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 · Oct 30, 2025. A widespread rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches resulted in flooding as a frontal system triggered thunderstorms across the NYC Metro area.
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 · Aug 13, 2025. Thunderstorms moved across Jamaica, Queens resulting in flooding and road closures.
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 Queens 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.