States › New York › Delaware County

Delaware County, New York

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 36025 · 44,378 residents (2021) · 1,443 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 108Tornado · 11Flood · 137Wind · 346Winter · 123

Delaware County within New York. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 759 events for Delaware County, New York, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 52.6 events per 100 square miles, below the New York figure of 120.3, and 171.0 per 10,000 residents against 28.6 statewide.

16 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 16 deaths and 9 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $378M and crop damage at $500K.

FEMA has designated the county in 39 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby (major disaster, 24 Sep 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 1,291 claims since 1978, of which 1,131 were paid, totalling $40M (about $35K per paid claim). FEMA counts 534 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($35M a year across 18 hazards).

16 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

16events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

759events since 195016 deaths, 9 injuries recorded

39disaster declarationslast 24 Sep 2024

1,291NFIP flood claims$40M paid

Compared with New York and the United States

Measure	Delaware County	New York	US
Recorded events since 1950	759	56,675	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	52.6	120.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	171.0	28.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	16	1,948	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	16	578	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$378M	$5.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	29.1	8.8	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$35K	$40K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	5.1	10.1	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1

Hail: 1Wind: 5

Wind: 3

Hail: 2Tornado: 1Wind: 21

Hail: 5Tornado: 5Flood: 11Wind: 73Winter: 22Cold: 5Drought: 2

Hail: 60Tornado: 2Flood: 58Wind: 69Winter: 52Heat: 2Cold: 10Drought: 1Lightning: 3Other: 2

Hail: 26Tornado: 1Flood: 37Wind: 73Winter: 27Heat: 2Other: 1

Hail: 13Tornado: 2Flood: 31Wind: 102Winter: 22Cold: 3Drought: 2Lightning: 1

11950s61960s31970s241980s1231990s2592000s1672010s1762020s

Recorded events in Delaware County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 443 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 290 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind346

Flood137

Winter123

Hail108

Cold18

Tornado11

Drought5

Heat4

Lightning4

Other3

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	346	1	1.4%	detail
■ Flood	137	15	2.0%	detail
■ Winter	123	—	0.9%	detail
■ Hail	108	—	2.1%	detail
■ Cold	18	—	0.6%
■ Tornado	11	—	2.0%	detail
■ Drought	5	—	1.3%
■ Heat	4	—	0.3%
■ Lightning	4	—	0.7%
■ Other	3	—	0.5%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
19 Jan 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$9.3M	—	6	—	County
19 Jun 2007	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$30M	—	4	—	County
27 Jun 2006	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$250M	—	2	—	County
29 Oct 2003	Flood	Flood	—	$50K	—	2	1	Forecast zone
30 Jun 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	90 mph	$115K	—	1	1	County
28 Aug 2011	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	1	—	County
27 Jan 1996	High Wind	Wind	—	$25K	—	—	4	Forecast zone
9 Nov 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	2	County
18 Sep 2004	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$12M	—	—	—	County
31 May 2002	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$10K	—	—	1	County
27 Jun 2006	Flood	Flood	—	$10M	—	—	—	County
27 Jun 2006	Flood	Flood	—	$10M	—	—	—	County
23 Jul 2008	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$10M	—	—	—	County
27 Jun 2006	Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	County
28 Aug 2011	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	County
8 Apr 2022	Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	County
1 Oct 2010	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$2.1M	—	—	—	County
4 Jul 1999	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	$500K	—	—	County
2 Apr 2005	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$2.0M	—	—	—	County
7 Sep 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$2.0M	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Sep 2024	DR-4825	Major disaster	Tropical Storm	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby	Public assistance
22 Aug 2021	EM-3565	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Henri	Public assistance
20 Mar 2020	DR-4480	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3434	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
1 Oct 2018	DR-4397	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
12 Jul 2017	DR-4322	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
8 Jul 2014	DR-4180	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
12 Jul 2013	DR-4129	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3351	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
13 Sep 2011	DR-4031	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee	Individual assistance, Public assistance
8 Sep 2011	EM-3341	Emergency	Severe Storm	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee	Public assistance
31 Aug 2011	DR-4020	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Individual assistance, Public assistance
26 Aug 2011	EM-3328	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
10 Jun 2011	DR-1993	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
4 Mar 2009	DR-1827	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
18 Dec 2008	EM-3299	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
2 Jul 2007	DR-1710	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
12 Dec 2006	DR-1670	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
1 Jul 2006	DR-1650	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Sep 2005	EM-3262	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
19 Apr 2005	DR-1589	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
1 Oct 2004	DR-1565	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Depression Ivan	Individual assistance, Public assistance
1 Oct 2004	DR-1564	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
3 Aug 2004	DR-1534	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
29 Aug 2003	DR-1486	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Aug 2003	EM-3186	Emergency	Other	Power Outage	Public assistance
27 Mar 2003	EM-3184	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
25 Feb 2003	EM-3173	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snowstorms	Public assistance
11 Sep 2001	DR-1391	Major disaster	Fire	Fires And Explosions	Individual assistance, Public assistance
11 Oct 2000	EM-3155	Emergency	Other	West Nile Virus	Public assistance
7 Jul 1998	DR-1233	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
9 Dec 1996	DR-1148	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms High Winds, Rain And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
24 Jan 1996	DR-1095	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
12 Jan 1996	DR-1083	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
17 Mar 1993	EM-3107	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Blizzard	Public assistance
15 May 1987	DR-792	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Jul 1973	DR-401	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
22 Jul 1970	DR-290	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & Flooding	Public assistance
18 Aug 1965	DR-204	Major disaster	Drought	Water Shortage	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Delaware County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,291

Paid claims1,131

Total paid$40M

Average paid claim$35K

Repetitive-loss properties1949 severe

Residential policies in force5341.9% of 28,660 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2025	1	0	$0	—
2024	12	10	$162,896	$16,290
2023	2	1	$134	$134
2020	2	2	$12,360	$6,180
2019	3	1	$8,520	$8,520
2018	3	2	$33,976	$16,988
2017	3	1	$7,783	$7,783
2015	1	0	$0	—
2014	1	0	$0	—
2013	5	2	$16,889	$8,444
2012	4	0	$0	—
2011	369	342	$16,313,665	$47,701
2010	18	15	$129,502	$8,633
2009	1	1	$3,174	$3,174
2008	6	5	$82,813	$16,563
2007	2	2	$4,106	$2,053
2006	445	429	$18,882,728	$44,016
2005	85	70	$829,387	$11,848
2004	67	58	$1,107,541	$19,096
2003	6	5	$34,355	$6,871
2001	2	1	$5,634	$5,634
2000	5	3	$3,366	$1,122
1999	3	3	$66,912	$22,304
1998	2	2	$5,716	$2,858

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 83.3 of 100

Expected annual loss$35MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$30,908,930
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$1,487,146
Tornado	Relatively Low	$1,058,964
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$901,556
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$409,587
Earthquake	Very Low	$198,704
Lightning	Relatively Low	$159,348
Hail	Relatively Low	$117,591
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$102,256
Heat wave	Very Low	$48,770
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$41,891
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$40,064
Wildfire	Very Low	$4,837
Avalanche	Relatively Low	$2,860

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles16

Tracks within 50 miles2

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Isaias	2020	90 mi	63 mph
Irene	2011	98 mi	58 mph
David	1979	84 mi	46 mph
Agnes	1972	42 mi	52 mph
Doria	1971	95 mi	52 mph
Able	1952	96 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	70 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	48 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	96 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	71 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	55 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	66 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1878	53 mi	81 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1876	80 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1866	79 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1863	76 mi	46 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

13838 366
13856 225
13754 148
12455 138
13755 91
13756 52
13783 51
12430 44
12406 37
13731 34
13753 30
12474 16
13782 13
13860 9
13775 7
13839 6
13750 5
13837 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Delaware County, NY?

NCEI records 108 hail events in Delaware County since 1950, in 27 different years; that is about 1.4 recorded events a year. 10 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Delaware County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 11 tornadoes in Delaware County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Delaware County?

24 Sep 2024: Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby, a major disaster declaration for tropical storm. The county appears in 39 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Delaware County, and how much was paid?

1,291 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,131 of them paid, for $40M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Delaware County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Delaware County compare with the rest of New York?

52.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.3 statewide, and 29.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 8.8. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.