475 flood insurance claims·$5.8M paid·5 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 Rensselaer 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 general flooding from severe storms and heavy rainfall dominate the flood character of Rensselaer County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 60 flash flood events, 57 flood events, 2 tropical storms, and 1 storm surge or tide event. Recent recorded events include a strong upper-level system that brought widespread showers and thunderstorms with 3 to 6 inches of rainfall in localized areas on July 9–11, 2023, as well as a low pressure system that produced 2 to 5 inches of rainfall leading to areal and river flooding on December 18, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood risks affect properties across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for the highest impact with 368 claims, an average payout of $16,623, and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. Properties in shaded Zone X recorded 28 claims with an average payout of $39,687 and an average water depth of 12 inches, while unshaded Zone X saw 21 claims averaging $16,077 with a 7-inch average water depth. Zone X overall recorded 32 claims with an average payout of $18,417 and an average water depth of 5 inches, and unknown zones recorded 26 claims with an average payout of $1,425 and a 2-inch average water depth. Residents in high-risk Zone A, shaded Zone X, and properties near rivers or prone to flash flooding should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Rensselaer County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
417 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 13 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 157 claims and $2.7M 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.
61 NOAA storm reports from Rensselaer County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 26, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 11, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 26, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
120 since 1996: 60 flash floods, 57 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $75,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jan 13, 2023 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | $30,000 |
| Flood | Apr 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jul 14, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 18, 2023. An area of low pressure tracked up the East Coast and intensified in the process as it brought widespread moderate to heavy rainfall across eastern New York on December 18, 2023. Rainfall totals were between 2 and 5 inches with the highest amounts across the eastern Catskills. This rain led to both areal and river flooding across the region. Some rivers didn't recede until December 22.||States of Emergency were is…
Flood · Jul 16, 2023. A couple of rounds of showers and thunderstorms resulted in wind damage and flash flooding over parts of eastern New York on July 16, 2023. One round occurred during the early morning hours which resulted in some downed trees and wires as well as some street flooding and washouts, primarily across the mid-Hudson Valley. The second round moved through during the afternoon leading to some flooding and flash flooding…
Flood · Jan 13, 2023. Waves of rainfall, which at times were heavy, Thursday evening (January 12th) into Friday morning (January 13th) combined with runoff from southern Vermont may have been the cause of a culvert overflowing and collapsing in the town of Hoosick Falls.
Flash Flood · Jul 9, 2023. A strong upper-level system brought widespread rounds of showers and thunderstorms to eastern New York on July 9-11, 2023. The steadiest and heaviest rainfall occurred during the afternoon hours on July 9, the early morning hours on July 10 and during the evening hours on July 10 into the overnight hours on July 11. Rainfall totals varied greatly from region to region but the hardest hit areas (Hudson Valley and i…
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 Rensselaer 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.