136 flood insurance claims·$1.4M 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 Washington 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.
Standard river flooding and flash flooding dominate the historical flood profile of Washington County, with 91 flood events, 62 flash flood events, and 2 tropical storms recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database. Recent documented events include heavy rainfall and flash flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby on August 9, 2024, as well as widespread areal and river flooding caused by a low pressure system bringing 2 to 5 inches of rain on December 18, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood impacts extend across multiple zones. Properties in Zone A experienced 59 claims with an average payout of $16,147 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Properties in Zone X recorded 16 claims with an average payout of $19,056 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches, while Zone X unshaded areas recorded 17 claims averaging $19,672 with an average water depth of 10 inches. Zone X shaded properties saw 3 claims averaging $6,549 with an average water depth of 22 inches, and claims associated with an unknown zone totaled 41 with an average payout of $15,195 and an average depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A, Zone X variants, and areas with unknown designations should pay the closest attention to flood risks, as historical claims and recorded water depths demonstrate significant financial and structural impacts across these designations.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
25% of Washington County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
79 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 9 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 35 claims and $834,975 paid, the year of Hurricane Irene.
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.
91 NOAA storm reports from Washington County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 11, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Earthquake | Apr 20, 2002 |
| Fires And Explosions | Sep 11, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
155 since 1996: 62 flash floods and 91 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 16, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 19, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jul 29, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. On August 9, 2024, remnants of Tropical Storm Debby impacted eastern New York, bringing periods of heavy rain and gusty winds. Total rainfall accumulations generally ranged from about 1-4 with several instances of flash flooding in the Capital District and isolated instances in the Eastern Catskills and Upper-Hudson Valley. Non-thunderstorm wind gusts throughout eastern New York peaked between about 35-50 mph, lea…
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…
Flash 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…
Flash Flood · Sep 19, 2022. A cluster of showers and thunderstorms resulted in downed trees and powerlines, a couple of hail reports, and a flood report over eastern New York during the afternoon hours on September 19, 2022.
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 Washington 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.