Natural disaster risk in Cayuga County, New York
New York · population 76,185 · FIPS 36011
Overall: relatively low risk
Cayuga County has a composite risk score of 61.5 out of 100 — higher than 61% of US counties. It ranks 42 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, inland (riverine) flooding, winter weather.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 1 week
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 10.34% of Cayuga County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
Drought in Cayuga County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 61.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $23.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 66.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 31 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 84.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Cayuga County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively high 86 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 64 |
| Hail | Relatively low 59 |
| Drought | Relatively low 56 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 47 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 42 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 39 |
| Earthquake | Very low 47 |
| Landslide | Very low 45 |
| Wildfire | Very low 32 |
| Avalanche | Very low 29 |
| Cold wave | Very low 22 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 21 |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Cayuga County
Federal declarations that designated Cayuga County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Cayuga County.
All FEMA declarations in New York, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
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
What is the natural disaster risk in Cayuga County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Cayuga County as relatively low, with a score of 61.5 out of 100 (higher than 61% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Cayuga County?
The hazards rated highest for Cayuga County are ice storm (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Cayuga County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Cayuga County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Cayuga County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Cayuga County.
Is Cayuga County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 10.34% of Cayuga County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
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