Natural disaster risk in Orleans County, New York
New York · population 40,286 · FIPS 36073
Overall: very low risk
Orleans County has a composite risk score of 17.9 out of 100 — higher than 17% of US counties. It ranks 60 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, hail, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Orleans County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 31 weeks in a row.
Drought in Orleans 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. |
Very low 17.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $6.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 21.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 35.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 73 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Orleans County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 63 |
| Hail | Relatively low 48 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 39 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 37 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 29 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 27 |
| Hurricane | Very low 51 |
| Earthquake | Very low 36 |
| Heat wave | Very low 28 |
| Tornado | Very low 22 |
| Winter weather | Very low 22 |
| Drought | Very low 17 |
| Coastal flooding | Very low 13 |
| Wildfire | Very low 12 |
| Landslide | Very low 10 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Orleans County
Federal declarations that designated Orleans 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 Orleans 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 Orleans County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Orleans County as very low, with a score of 17.9 out of 100 (higher than 17% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Orleans County?
The hazards rated highest for Orleans County are ice storm (relatively moderate), hail (relatively low), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Orleans County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Orleans County as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Orleans County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Orleans County.
Is Orleans County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Orleans County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 31 weeks in a row.
Every county in New York, ranked · All states · Disasters near me