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Natural hazard risk in Monroe County, New York

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively Moderate (score 93.7 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$141.0 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1972
17[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$5.0 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
5[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall natural hazard risk in Monroe County as Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA scores here are cold wave, inland flooding and winter weather[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Monroe County at $141.0 million a year[1]. FEMA's sorted loss values list inland flooding, cold wave and tornado as the largest, in that order[7]. Expected Annual Loss is a FEMA estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid, and the index does not predict next year's damage[8]. FEMA rates social vulnerability as Relatively Moderate[9]. FEMA rates community resilience as Very High compared with other US counties[10].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
Cold WaveRelatively High$20.1 million[11]
Inland FloodingRelatively High$102.6 million[12]
Winter WeatherRelatively High$711,000[13]
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$5.8 million[14]
Ice StormRelatively High$814,000[15]
TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.8 million[16]
EarthquakeRelatively Low$2.5 million[17]
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$1.2 million[18]
LightningRelatively Moderate$638,000[19]
HurricaneRelatively Low$521,000[20]
DroughtRelatively Low$218,000[21]
WildfireVery Low$39,000[22]
Coastal FloodingVery Low$14,000[23]
LandslideVery Low$467[24]
HailVery Low$130,000[25]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, volcanic activity[26].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate43.5[9]
Community resilienceVery High94.3[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates inland flooding risk in Monroe County as Relatively High compared with other US counties[12]. OpenFEMA lists 963 residential flood insurance contracts in force, a penetration rate of 0.4%[27]. Inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, 26.4% of homes are insured[27]. OpenFEMA NFIP claims data lists 828 claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $5.0 million in total[3]. To check a specific address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[28].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[12] Relatively High, $102.6 million expected loss a year
Coastal Flooding, FEMA risk rating[23] Very Low, $14,000 expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[27] 963 of 243,537 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[27] 2,341, of which 617 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 828 filed, $5.0 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[28]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Monroe County since 1972[2]. The most recent is DR-4348-NY for flooding, declared 2017-11-14[29]. NOAA's tornado database records 5 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024, and none were rated F3/EF3 or stronger[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Monroe County, since 1972
Incident type Declarations
Severe Storm[2] 4
Snowstorm[2] 4
Flood[2] 4
Hurricane[2] 2
Severe Ice Storm[2] 2
Fire[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
DR-4348-NY[29] Flooding 2017-11-14
EM-3351-NY[29] Hurricane Sandy 2012-10-28
EM-3262-NY[29] Hurricane Katrina Evacuation 2005-09-30
DR-1564-NY[29] Severe Storms And Flooding 2004-10-01
DR-1534-NY[29] Severe Storms And Flooding 2004-08-03

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Winter storms and cold

Before

  • Insulate your home and learn how to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Install and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup.
  • Keep several days of supplies in case the power goes out, including medication and pet needs.
  • Put an emergency kit in your car with jumper cables, sand, blankets, water and snacks, and keep the tank full.

During

  • Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away.
  • Stay off the roads if you can. If you are stuck in your car, stay inside it.
  • Run generators and grills only outdoors, away from windows, and never heat your home with an oven or stove.

Source: Ready.gov, winter storms and cold

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Extreme heat

Before

  • Learn the signs of heat illness and how to respond.
  • Do not rely on a fan as your main way to stay cool. Fans do not lower body temperature.
  • Find cool public places, such as libraries or malls, or ask your local health department.
  • Keep heat out with window shades, weather stripping and insulation.
  • If you cannot afford cooling costs, contact LIHEAP for help.

During

  • Never leave a person or an animal in a parked car in warm weather.
  • If your home has no air conditioning, go to a cooling center.
  • Wear light, loose clothing, drink plenty of fluids and avoid hard outdoor work in the middle of the day.

Source: Ready.gov, extreme heat

Questions people ask

Is Monroe County, New York at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively High compared with other US counties[12]. OpenFEMA lists 828 NFIP flood claims for losses from 1978 to 2026[3].
Does Monroe County get tornadoes?
NOAA's tornado database records 5 tornadoes touching Monroe County from 1950 to 2024[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[16].
Is Monroe County at risk of earthquakes or wildfire?
FEMA rates earthquake risk Relatively Low[17] and wildfire risk Very Low compared with other US counties[22].
How many disasters have been declared in Monroe County?
OpenFEMA lists 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Monroe County since 1972[2].
How do I check my flood zone?
Look up an address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or ask the local floodplain manager[28].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Monroe County is $141.0 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively Moderate, score 93.7). Of this, buildings account for $107.6 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Monroe County since 1972 (12 major disaster, 5 emergency or fire management). By incident type: severe storm 4, snowstorm 4, flood 4, hurricane 2, severe ice storm 2, fire 1. Biological (such as COVID-19)... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 828 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Monroe County, 461 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $5.0 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year paid). Years... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 5 recorded tornadoes touched Monroe County. The strongest were rated F1 (most recent of them on 1981-09-08). 0 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2020-07-29. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Monroe County is Relatively Moderate, with a Risk Index score of 93.7 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Monroe County are cold wave (97.9, Relatively High), inland flooding (96.6, Relatively High), winter weather (95.4, Relatively High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Monroe County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are inland flooding ($102.6 million a year), cold wave ($20.1 million a year), tornado ($5.8 million a year), out of $141.0 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  8. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Monroe County is Relatively Moderate (score 43.5). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Monroe County is Very High (score 94.3). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 97.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $20.1 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 2.95 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 96.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $102.6 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 2.18 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 26... FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 95.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $711,000 a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 20.63 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 94.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $5.8 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 3.42 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18... FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 88.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $814,000 a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 1.53 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 87.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $5.8 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.11 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 84.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.5 million a year (rating Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0008 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 79.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.2 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.3 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38... FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 77.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $638,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 27.28 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 68.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $521,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.03 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172 years for the... FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 56.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $218,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.83 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 47.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $39,000 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), coastal flooding in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 39.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $14,000 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0138 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 35.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $467 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  25. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Monroe County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 32.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $130,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 1.1 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  26. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Monroe County: avalanche, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered geographically possible there. FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  27. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 963 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Monroe County, out of 243,537 residential structures, a penetration rate of 0.4%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 2,341 residential structures and 617 contracts, a... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  28. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  29. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.