Natural disaster risk in New York, by county
All 62 counties in New York, ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index composite risk score, with each one's highest-rated hazard. Other states
At a glance
0
Very high risk
8
Relatively high risk
15
Relatively moderate risk
31
Relatively low risk
8
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Kings County (relatively high, score 99.3). Lowest: Hamilton County (very low, score 15.1).
Top hazards in New York
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | 20 of 62 | 66.6 |
| Winter weather | 18 of 62 | 62.0 |
| Ice storm | 17 of 62 | 69.3 |
| Strong wind | 15 of 62 | 59.5 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | 11 of 62 | 80.4 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kings County | Relatively high 99.3 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 2 | Queens County | Relatively high 99.2 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 3 | New York County | Relatively high 98.8 | Inland (riverine) flooding (very high) |
| 4 | Bronx County | Relatively high 98.3 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 5 | Erie County | Relatively high 97.7 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 6 | Suffolk County | Relatively high 97.3 | Coastal flooding (very high) |
| 7 | Nassau County | Relatively high 97.1 | Coastal flooding (very high) |
| 8 | Westchester County | Relatively high 96.2 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 9 | Monroe County | Relatively moderate 93.8 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 10 | Onondaga County | Relatively moderate 91.3 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 11 | Richmond County | Relatively moderate 91 | Heat wave (relatively high) |
| 12 | Orange County | Relatively moderate 90.6 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 13 | Rockland County | Relatively moderate 88.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 14 | Dutchess County | Relatively moderate 88.3 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 15 | Ulster County | Relatively moderate 87.7 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 16 | Broome County | Relatively moderate 87.5 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 17 | Oneida County | Relatively moderate 86.3 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 18 | Albany County | Relatively moderate 85.9 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 19 | Chautauqua County | Relatively moderate 84.6 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 20 | Niagara County | Relatively moderate 83.4 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 21 | Delaware County | Relatively moderate 83.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 22 | Rensselaer County | Relatively moderate 82.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 23 | Cattaraugus County | Relatively moderate 81.6 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 24 | Sullivan County | Relatively low 78.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 25 | St. Lawrence County | Relatively low 77.9 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 26 | Steuben County | Relatively low 76.9 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 27 | Otsego County | Relatively low 75.8 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 28 | Tompkins County | Relatively low 73.9 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 29 | Saratoga County | Relatively low 73 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 30 | Chenango County | Relatively low 72.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 31 | Schenectady County | Relatively low 71.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 32 | Allegany County | Relatively low 69.8 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 33 | Clinton County | Relatively low 68.8 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 34 | Columbia County | Relatively low 68.7 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 35 | Greene County | Relatively low 68.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 36 | Oswego County | Relatively low 67.6 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 37 | Montgomery County | Relatively low 65.2 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 38 | Jefferson County | Relatively low 64 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 39 | Ontario County | Relatively low 63.5 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 40 | Essex County | Relatively low 62.7 | Landslide (relatively high) |
| 41 | Warren County | Relatively low 62.3 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 42 | Cayuga County | Relatively low 61.5 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 43 | Herkimer County | Relatively low 60 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 44 | Tioga County | Relatively low 59.9 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 45 | Madison County | Relatively low 59.4 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 46 | Washington County | Relatively low 56.6 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Livingston County | Relatively low 56.4 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 48 | Wayne County | Relatively low 56.3 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 49 | Genesee County | Relatively low 56.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 50 | Chemung County | Relatively low 54.8 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Cortland County | Relatively low 51.2 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively low) |
| 52 | Franklin County | Relatively low 48.9 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | Fulton County | Relatively low 48.6 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Yates County | Relatively low 46.6 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 55 | Seneca County | Very low 41.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Schoharie County | Very low 41.3 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 57 | Wyoming County | Very low 41.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively low) |
| 58 | Putnam County | Very low 39.8 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Lewis County | Very low 24.7 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 60 | Orleans County | Very low 17.9 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Schuyler County | Very low 16.3 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Hamilton County | Very low 15.1 | Landslide (relatively low) |
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
Which county in New York has the highest natural disaster risk?
Kings County has the highest composite risk score in New York in FEMA's National Risk Index: 99.3, rated relatively high.
Which county in New York has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Hamilton County has the lowest composite risk score in New York: 15.1, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is New York most at risk from?
Across New York, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are lightning, winter weather, ice storm, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
All states · Weather alerts in New York now · All disaster tools