108 flood insurance claims·$977,123 paid·2 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 Seneca 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 Seneca County, supported by 22 recorded flash flood events compared to 4 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent occurrences include torrential rainfall from a slow-moving cold front in June 2025, and prolonged heavy rains from tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024, which destroyed roads and bridges and impacted properties.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with Zone A accounting for 58 claims averaging a payout of $16,833 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone X recorded 21 claims with an average payout of $9,354 and an average water depth of 22 inches, while Zone X unshaded had 10 claims averaging $18,156 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Zone Unknown recorded 12 claims with an average payout of $3,638 and an average depth of 1 inch, and Zone X shaded recorded 7 claims averaging $3,251 with an average depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A and Zone X, which account for the majority of historical flood insurance claims and notable payout averages across the county.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
23% of Seneca County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
75 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 8 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 45 claims and $305,500 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Seneca County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Ice Storm | Apr 3, 2003 |
| Fires And Explosions | Sep 11, 2001 |
| West Nile Virus | May 22, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
26 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2023 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2025. A slow-moving cold front arrived during the evening hours, moving into a very moist environment. The unstable atmosphere produced several thunderstorms, a few of which produced torrential rainfall and localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2024. A slow-moving cluster of thunderstorms developed along a boundary in a hot, humid and unstable environment. Isolated rain amounts in excess of 2.5 to 3.0 inches over a short period of time during the afternoon swelled local creeks and streams causing flooding in portions of Steuben and Cortland counties. A flooded road also occurred earlier in Seneca County, with initial activity the prior evening.
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…
Flood · Apr 5, 2023. A strong upper level weather disturbance tapped into an unusually moist airmass to produce heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
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 Seneca 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.