209 flood insurance claims·$2.4M 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 Wayne 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 and heavy rain systems dominates the flood risk profile in Wayne County, accounting for 28 out of 48 total flood events recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database. Additional events include 10 standard floods, 7 coastal floods, and 3 lakeshore floods. Recent documented events include flash flooding triggered by training thunderstorms and a slow-moving cold front on June 18, 2025, heavy rain and flash flooding from the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby on August 9, 2024, and widespread moderate to heavy rain reaching 2.27 inches in Pultneyville on June 12, 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk extends across multiple zones. Zone A properties experienced the highest claim volume with 146 claims averaging an $18,609 payout and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone X (unshaded) properties logged 34 claims averaging a $10,688 payout with an average water depth of 4 inches, while standard Zone X properties recorded 17 claims averaging an $18,569 payout with an average water depth of 21 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in high-risk Zone A, as well as areas outside mapped high-risk zones that still experience significant indoor water accumulation during heavy precipitation events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
21% of Wayne County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
184 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 2019, with 62 claims and $934,525 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.
41 NOAA storm reports from Wayne County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | May 2, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
| Ice Storm | Apr 3, 2003 |
| Fires And Explosions | Sep 11, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
48 since 1996: 28 flash floods, 10 river or area floods and 10 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2023 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 27, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Nov 21, 2019 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | May 20, 2019 | $1.0M |
| Flood | May 17, 2019 | $3.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. Showers and thunderstorms developed along a Lake Erie lake breeze boundary during the late morning of June 18th. With the very high moisture laden airmass over the area, heavy rain occurred within some of the showers and thunderstorms that developed. Some of the thunderstorms, especially early, trained over the same area long enough to cause flash flooding issues. Additional showers and thunderstorms developed dur…
Flash Flood · Sep 9, 2024. A potent shortwave trough/Mesoscale Convective Vortex tracked southeast across the area, causing showers and thunderstorms for much of the Buffalo forecast area. A few of the thunderstorms became severe with tornado and wind damage, along with rain that was heavy enough to cause Flash Flooding issues.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2024. The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby tracked northeast across Central New York on Friday August 9. As the system tracked across the region, heavy rain pushed into parts of the forecast area, with the heaviest rain falling over the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and up to the North Central New York areas. Flash Flooding was the primary threat from the remnants of the system, but some strong to severe thunderstorms a…
Flood · Jun 12, 2023. A cold front with a feed of rich moisture resulted in widespread moderate to heavy rain and a few instances of mainly road flooding from late in the afternoon on the 12th through early evening hours of the 12th. The heaviest rain and flooding reports received were centered across the Finger Lakes. No lightning was observed with the heavy rain. Some of the heaviest rain reports included; 2.95 inches at Clifton Spri…
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 Wayne 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.