Natural disaster risk in Suffolk County, New York
New York · population 1,524,969 · FIPS 36103
Overall: relatively high risk
Suffolk County has a composite risk score of 97.3 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 6 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, winter weather, lightning.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 23.34% of Suffolk County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Suffolk 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 high 97.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $320.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 97.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 21.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 94.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Suffolk County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Very high 98 |
| Winter weather | Very high 98 |
| Lightning | Very high 97 |
| Ice storm | Very high 96 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 98 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 97 |
| Hurricane | Relatively high 96 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 95 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 95 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 84 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 73 |
| Hail | Relatively low 36 |
| Drought | Very low 14 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Suffolk County
Federal declarations that designated Suffolk County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Suffolk County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4839-NY (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 21 Oct 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4839-NY | Major disaster | Severe Storm and Flooding | 21 Oct 2024 | No |
| EM-3613-NY | Emergency | Severe Storm and Flooding | 25 Aug 2024 | No |
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 Suffolk County, New York?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Suffolk County as relatively high, with a score of 97.3 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Suffolk County?
The hazards rated highest for Suffolk County are coastal flooding (very high), winter weather (very high), lightning (very high).
What is the flood risk in Suffolk County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Suffolk County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Suffolk County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Suffolk County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4839-NY (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 21 Oct 2024.
Is Suffolk County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 23.34% of Suffolk County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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