149 flood insurance claims·$1.1M paid·6 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 Yates 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 severe summer thunderstorms and tropical storm remnants dominates the flood risk profile in Yates County, New York, accounting for 43 out of 45 recorded flood events over the last 30 years. Recent historical events illustrate this hazard, including torrential rainfall and localized flash flooding from a slow-moving cold front in June 2025, and prolonged heavy rains associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024 that washed out roads and bridges.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that historical claims span multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 87 claims with an average payout of $12,325 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties in Zone X unshaded recorded 17 claims with an average payout of $26,765 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches, while Zone X recorded 13 claims averaging $20,645 with an average recorded water depth of 13 inches. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 30 claims averaging $2,523 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, and Zone X shaded recorded 2 claims averaging $1,413 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in designated high-risk riverine areas (Zone A) and properties located in moderate-to-low risk zones (Zone X) should pay the closest attention to this risk, as both zones have experienced significant claims and notable average water depths during past inundation events.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Yates County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
106 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 10 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 2014, with 39 claims and $535,189 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
24 NOAA storm reports from Yates County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 6 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 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 13, 2004 |
| Power Outage | Aug 14, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
45 since 1996: 43 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2025 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2024 | $75,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2021 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 18, 2021 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2017 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2017 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 14, 2017 | $40,000 |
— = 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 · 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…
Flash Flood · Aug 18, 2021. The moisture and remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved across parts of the mid-Atlantic and northeast United States between August 18 to 20. As this feature moved over the central parts of New York and northeast Pennsylvania it produced locally heavy rainfall and severe flash flooding. Steuben County New York was one of the hardest hit areas with over 500 homes and businesses affected by flooding. The Tuscarora Cr…
Flood · Apr 20, 2017. An area of moderate to heavy rain, with embedded thunderstorms, moved through Central New York causing areas of common urban flooding and ponding of water in a few locations.
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 Yates 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.