375 flood insurance claims·$2.1M 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 Steuben 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 persistent showers and thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Steuben County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 172 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, compared to only 7 general flood events. A typical recent occurrence happened in May 2025, when a nearly stationary upper-level low pressure system over the Ohio Valley combined with deep southeasterly flow from the Atlantic Ocean to produce locally heavy rainfall. This persistent moisture caused streams and creeks to exceed their banks and impact area roads across portions of the county.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties situated in high-risk Zone A have experienced the highest concentration of historical impacts, with 183 claims averaging $11,669 per payout and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, properties located outside mapped high-risk areas also face vulnerability; for example, unshaded Zone X properties logged 55 claims with an average water depth of 11 inches and an average payout of $5,079, while Zone X properties recorded 38 claims averaging 10 inches of water. Homeowners near streams and creeks, as well as those located within both high-risk Zone A and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas, should pay the closest attention to local flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
37% of Steuben County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
290 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 4 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 1996, with 108 claims and $773,466 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Storms High Winds, Rain 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.
119 NOAA storm reports from Steuben County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 8, 2024 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Fred | Aug 18, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2014 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 26, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Tropical Depression Ivan | Sep 16, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
179 since 1996: 172 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2025 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 24, 2025. Thunderstorms formed along and ahead of a stationary front draped from southwest Pennsylvania to the east end of Lake Ontario. These storms moved very slowly over the Southern Tier of New York with repeating heavy rain producing cells concentrated over Steuben County.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. Slow moving thunderstorms developed in a warm and humid airmass during the afternoon hours over the Southern Tier of NY. Rainfall rates were excessive and produced up to 3 inches of rain within a 1-to-2-hour time span. This led to areas of minor flash flooding, mostly confined to street and poor drainage areas in developed areas.
Flash Flood · Jul 16, 2025. A storm system moving through the lower Great Lakes region triggered isolated thunderstorms over the Central Southern Tier of NY. A saturated atmosphere helped to support torrential rainfall over Steuben county which led to some flooding and washouts of local roads.
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2025. A warm and unstable environment ahead of an approaching cold front supported the development of scattered thunderstorms. Weak steering winds contributed to slow moving storms repeating over the same areas which contributed to areas of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Several locations around central New York reported flooded roads along with washouts of culverts and small bridges.
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 Steuben 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.