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Lewis 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.
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.
Lewis County, New York, has 774 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.
That is 60.6 events per 100 square miles, below the New York figure of 120.3, and 291.3 per 10,000 residents against 28.6 statewide.
23 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 1 death and 0 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $36M and crop damage at $261K.
FEMA has designated the county in 28 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storm And Flooding (major disaster, 21 Oct 2024).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 38 claims since 1978, of which 31 were paid, totalling $456K (about $15K per paid claim). FEMA counts 59 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($9.1M a year across 18 hazards).
4 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.
Compared with New York and the United States
| Measure | Lewis County | New York | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 774 | 56,675 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 60.6 | 120.3 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 291.3 | 28.6 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 23 | 1,948 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 1 | 578 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $36M | $5.7B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 8.8 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $15K | $40K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 6.8 | 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
Trend: 548 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 202 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jun 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 69 mph | $20K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 15 Jul 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | $15M | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jan 1998 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $2.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 28 Dec 2001 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $2.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 22 May 2014 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $1.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Aug 2023 | Tornado | Tornado | EF3 | $1.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Apr 2011 | Flood | Flood | — | $1.1M | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Nov 2000 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $500K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Nov 2000 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $500K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 15 Sep 2008 | High Wind | Wind | 63 mph | $200K | $200K | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Feb 2002 | High Wind | Wind | 60 mph | $300K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Nov 2014 | Lake-Effect Snow | Winter | — | $300K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 10 Feb 2001 | High Wind | Wind | 59 mph | $250K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 31 Jan 2002 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $250K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 2 Feb 2007 | Lake-Effect Snow | Winter | — | $250K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Dec 2013 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $250K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 Jul 2014 | Tornado | Tornado | EF1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jan 1996 | Flood | Flood | — | $220K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 15 Oct 2003 | High Wind | Wind | 58 mph | $200K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Feb 2006 | High Wind | Wind | 81 mph | $200K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 2024 | DR-4839 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storm And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 29 Aug 2024 | DR-4814 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 20 Nov 2022 | EM-3589 | Emergency | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Public assistance |
| 8 Oct 2021 | DR-4625 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Remnants Of Tropical Storm Fred | 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 |
| 19 Dec 2019 | DR-4472 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 22 Dec 2014 | DR-4204 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 8 Jul 2014 | DR-4180 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 28 Oct 2012 | EM-3351 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | Public assistance |
| 10 Jun 2011 | DR-1993 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 23 Feb 2007 | EM-3273 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Record Snow And Near Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 30 Sep 2005 | EM-3262 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 3 Aug 2004 | DR-1534 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | — |
| 3 Mar 2004 | EM-3195 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 23 Aug 2003 | EM-3186 | Emergency | Other | Power Outage | Public assistance |
| 11 Sep 2001 | DR-1391 | Major disaster | Fire | Fires And Explosions | Public assistance |
| 11 Oct 2000 | EM-3155 | Emergency | Other | West Nile Virus | Public assistance |
| 21 Jul 2000 | DR-1335 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 15 Jan 1999 | EM-3136 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 6 Jan 1998 | DR-1196 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 9 Dec 1996 | DR-1148 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms High Winds, Rain And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 24 Jan 1996 | DR-1095 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 17 Mar 1993 | EM-3107 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Severe Blizzard | Public assistance |
| 21 Mar 1991 | DR-898 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 20 Mar 1985 | DR-733 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 5 Feb 1977 | DR-527 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Snowstorms | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 29 Jan 1977 | EM-3027 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snowstorms | 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
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | $18,425 | $18,425 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | $5,139 | $5,139 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | $18,964 | $18,964 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | $165,704 | $55,235 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | $2,889 | $2,889 |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | $1,103 | $1,103 |
| 1998 | 15 | 11 | $202,258 | $18,387 |
| 1993 | 2 | 2 | $5,632 | $2,816 |
| 1984 | 3 | 3 | $22,885 | $7,628 |
| 1983 | 1 | 1 | $349 | $349 |
| 1982 | 2 | 1 | $3,945 | $3,945 |
| 1981 | 1 | 1 | $1,093 | $1,093 |
| 1980 | 2 | 2 | $4,863 | $2,432 |
| 1979 | 1 | 1 | $843 | $843 |
| 1978 | 1 | 1 | $1,466 | $1,466 |
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
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $7,295,699 | |
| Cold wave | $379,752 | |
| Strong wind | $354,177 | |
| Ice storm | $294,213 | |
| Earthquake | $254,997 | |
| Tornado | $201,296 | |
| Winter weather | $136,207 | |
| Lightning | $89,469 | |
| Hurricane | $63,605 | |
| Heat wave | $41,296 | |
| Hail | $22,035 | |
| Wildfire | $4,951 | |
| Landslide | $1,848 |
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
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| David | 1979 | 94 mi | 46 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1929 | 83 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1903 | 95 mi | 46 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1876 | 63 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
- 13367 10
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 Lewis County, NY?
NCEI records 26 hail events in Lewis County since 1950, in 16 different years; that is about 0.3 recorded events a year. 0 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Lewis County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 9 tornadoes in Lewis County since 1950, 1 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Lewis County?
21 Oct 2024: Severe Storm And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 28 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Lewis County, and how much was paid?
38 NFIP claims since 1978, 31 of them paid, for $456K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Lewis County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Very Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Low" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Lewis County compare with the rest of New York?
60.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.3 statewide, and 1.4 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.