County Hazards

States › New York › Madison County

Madison 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 36053 · 67,658 residents (2021) · 655 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 102Tornado · 8Flood · 53Wind · 259Winter · 168
1971-07-24: Hail1987-05-23: Hail1988-05-16: Hail1991-07-07: Hail1992-06-24: Hail1996-05-18: Hail1998-08-24: Hail1998-08-24: Hail1999-07-06: Hail2000-05-10: Hail2000-05-10: Hail2000-05-10: Hail2000-05-13: Hail2000-06-02: Hail2000-06-02: Hail2004-08-16: Hail2006-04-15: Hail2006-05-12: Hail2006-05-30: Hail2006-07-02: Hail2007-06-12: Hail2007-06-12: Hail2007-06-19: Hail2007-06-12: Hail2007-06-12: Hail2007-06-21: Hail2007-06-27: Hail2007-07-09: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-08-03: Hail2007-06-12: Hail2008-05-31: Hail2008-06-23: Hail2008-06-16: Hail2008-06-16: Hail2008-06-16: Hail2008-06-23: Hail2008-08-10: Hail2008-07-16: Hail2008-07-18: Hail2008-07-16: Hail2008-07-16: Hail2008-07-16: Hail2008-07-16: Hail2009-07-24: Hail2009-07-07: Hail2009-08-10: Hail2009-08-10: Hail2010-05-04: Hail2010-05-04: Hail2010-07-21: Hail2010-08-16: Hail2011-04-26: Hail2011-05-26: Hail2011-05-26: Hail2011-05-26: Hail2011-05-27: Hail2011-07-08: Hail2011-07-08: Hail2011-06-09: Hail2012-05-29: Hail2012-07-23: Hail2013-06-17: Hail2013-06-17: Hail2013-06-17: Hail2013-06-17: Hail2013-06-17: Hail2013-09-11: Hail2013-05-21: Hail2013-05-21: Hail2013-09-02: Hail2013-06-17: Hail2013-05-29: Hail2014-05-22: Hail2014-05-22: Hail2014-05-22: Hail2015-06-12: Hail2016-06-20: Hail2016-06-07: Hail2017-08-12: Hail2017-08-12: Hail2019-08-17: Hail2019-05-10: Hail2019-05-10: Hail2019-05-10: Hail2019-09-26: Hail2020-08-23: Hail2021-06-21: Hail2024-08-05: Hail2025-06-22: Hail2025-06-22: Hail1977-09-18: Tornado1989-11-16: Tornado2009-05-16: Tornado2014-07-08: Tornado2017-08-22: Tornado2017-08-22: Tornado2023-08-07: Tornado2024-07-16: Tornado2005-04-02: Flood2006-04-15: Flood2006-04-15: Flood2006-11-16: Flood2006-11-16: Flood2007-03-14: Flood2011-09-27: Flood2011-09-07: Flood2013-07-07: Flood2013-07-07: Flood2013-07-05: Flood2013-07-05: Flood2013-07-05: Flood2013-07-05: Flood2013-07-05: Flood2013-06-28: Flood2013-06-28: Flood2013-07-01: Flood2013-07-01: Flood2013-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2017-07-01: Flood2018-01-12: Flood2018-08-14: Flood2018-08-14: Flood2019-10-31: Flood2021-08-22: Flood2021-08-22: Flood2023-12-18: Flood2025-05-16: Flood2025-06-22: Flood2025-06-22: Flood2025-06-22: Flood2025-06-22: Flood2026-06-18: Wind2026-06-18: Wind2026-05-29: Wind2026-05-29: Wind2026-05-29: Wind2025-06-22: Wind2025-06-22: Wind2025-06-22: Wind2025-06-22: Wind2025-06-22: Wind2025-06-22: Wind2025-05-16: Wind2025-04-29: Wind2025-04-29: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-08-05: Wind2024-07-16: Wind2024-07-16: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-15: Wind2024-07-10: Wind2024-07-10: Wind2024-07-10: Wind2024-06-30: Wind2023-08-07: Wind2023-08-07: Wind2023-08-04: Wind2023-07-24: Wind2023-07-24: Wind2023-07-14: Wind2022-08-20: Wind2022-08-20: Wind2022-07-22: Wind2022-07-22: Wind2022-07-22: Wind2022-07-22: Wind2022-06-16: Wind2022-06-16: Wind2021-07-13: Wind2021-06-30: Wind2021-06-30: Wind2021-06-30: Wind2021-06-30: Wind2021-06-30: Wind2021-05-26: Wind2021-05-26: Wind2021-05-26: Wind2021-05-26: Wind2020-10-07: Wind2020-07-27: Wind2020-07-27: Wind2020-06-27: Wind2020-06-27: Wind2020-05-29: Wind2019-08-17: Wind2019-08-08: Wind2019-08-08: Wind2019-06-26: Wind2019-06-26: Wind2019-05-10: Wind2019-05-10: Wind2018-07-27: Wind2017-10-15: Wind2017-10-15: Wind2017-10-15: Wind2017-08-22: Wind2017-07-24: Wind2017-07-24: Wind2017-07-01: Wind2017-06-30: Wind2017-06-25: Wind2017-06-25: Wind2017-05-18: Wind2017-05-18: Wind2016-08-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2016-07-13: Wind2015-06-12: Wind2014-07-08: Wind2014-07-03: Wind2014-07-03: Wind2014-07-03: Wind2014-07-03: Wind2014-07-01: Wind2014-06-17: Wind2013-09-02: Wind2013-07-19: Wind2013-07-19: Wind2013-07-19: Wind2013-07-19: Wind2013-05-22: Wind2013-05-22: Wind2012-09-08: Wind2011-08-10: Wind2011-08-10: Wind2011-08-10: Wind2011-07-08: Wind
Madison 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 622 events for Madison County, New York, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 95.0 events per 100 square miles, below the New York figure of 120.3, and 91.9 per 10,000 residents against 28.6 statewide.

13 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 6 deaths and 6 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $44M and crop damage at $15K.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Covid-19 Pandemic (major disaster, 20 Mar 2020).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 313 claims since 1978, of which 252 were paid, totalling $4.7M (about $18K per paid claim). FEMA counts 297 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($23M a year across 18 hazards).

7 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.

13events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026
622events since 19506 deaths, 6 injuries recorded
24disaster declarationslast 20 Mar 2020
313NFIP flood claims$4.7M paid

Compared with New York and the United States

MeasureMadison CountyNew YorkUS
Recorded events since 195062256,6751,977,440
Events per 100 square miles95.0120.356.0
Events per 10,000 residents91.928.659.6
Events in the last 12 months131,94862,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI657826,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)$44M$5.7B$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents4.68.88.1
Average paid NFIP claim$18K$40K$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years13.810.116.1

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

Wind: 4
Hail: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 4
Hail: 2Tornado: 1Wind: 18
Hail: 9Flood: 2Wind: 50Winter: 27Cold: 3Drought: 1
Hail: 47Tornado: 1Flood: 17Wind: 50Winter: 68Heat: 2Cold: 11Drought: 1Lightning: 3Other: 2
Hail: 38Tornado: 3Flood: 26Wind: 62Winter: 43Heat: 2
Hail: 5Tornado: 2Flood: 8Wind: 71Winter: 30Cold: 4Lightning: 1Other: 2
01950s41960s61970s211980s921990s2022000s1742010s1232020s
Recorded events in Madison County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 391 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 208 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

Wind259
Winter168
Hail102
Flood53
Cold18
Tornado8
Heat4
Lightning4
Other4
Drought2
HazardEventsDeathsShare of state's events
■ Wind259—1.0%detail
■ Winter168—1.2%detail
■ Hail102—2.0%detail
■ Flood53—0.8%detail
■ Cold18—0.6%
■ Tornado851.4%
■ Heat4—0.3%
■ Lightning410.7%
■ Other4—0.7%
■ Drought2—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

DateEvent typeGroupMagnitudeProperty damageCrop damageDeathsInjuriesGeography
8 Jul 2014TornadoTornadoEF2$600K—4—County
24 Jul 2023LightningLightning———12County
16 Jul 2024TornadoTornadoEF1$250K—1—County
27 Jun 2006Flash FloodFlood—$25M———County
13 Aug 1990Thunderstorm WindWind0 mph———2County
18 Sep 1977TornadoTornadoF2$250K——1County
16 May 2009TornadoTornadoEF2$50K——1County
7 Sep 1998Thunderstorm WindWind—$5.0M———County
4 Apr 2003Ice StormWinter—$3.0M———Forecast zone
19 Jan 1996Flash FloodFlood—$1.5M———County
28 Jun 2013Flash FloodFlood—$1.0M———County
28 Jun 2013Flash FloodFlood—$1.0M———County
7 Sep 2011FloodFlood—$800K———County
30 Aug 2004Flash FloodFlood—$500K———County
1 Jul 2017Flash FloodFlood—$340K———County
3 Jan 2003Heavy SnowWinter—$300K———Forecast zone
16 Nov 1989TornadoTornadoF0$250K———County
27 Jun 2006Flash FloodFlood—$200K———County
1 Jul 2017Flash FloodFlood—$160K———County
5 Jul 2013Flash FloodFlood—$150K———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

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitlePrograms
20 Mar 2020DR-4480Major disasterBiologicalCovid-19 PandemicIndividual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020EM-3434EmergencyBiologicalCovid-19Public assistance
19 Dec 2019DR-4472Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And FloodingPublic assistance
12 Jul 2017DR-4322Major disasterSnowstormSevere Winter Storm And SnowstormPublic assistance
12 Jul 2013DR-4129Major disasterFloodSevere Storms And FloodingPublic assistance
28 Oct 2012EM-3351EmergencyHurricaneHurricane SandyPublic assistance
10 Jun 2011DR-1993Major disasterFloodSevere Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line WindsPublic assistance
1 Jul 2006DR-1650Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And FloodingPublic assistance
30 Sep 2005EM-3262EmergencyHurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationPublic assistance
19 Apr 2005DR-1589Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And FloodingPublic assistance
1 Oct 2004DR-1564Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And FloodingIndividual assistance
3 Aug 2004DR-1534Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And Flooding—
29 Aug 2003DR-1486Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Flooding, And TornadoesPublic assistance
23 Aug 2003EM-3186EmergencyOtherPower OutagePublic assistance
12 May 2003DR-1467Major disasterSevere Ice StormIce StormPublic assistance
25 Feb 2003EM-3173EmergencySnowstormSnowstormsPublic assistance
11 Sep 2001DR-1391Major disasterFireFires And ExplosionsPublic assistance
11 Oct 2000EM-3155EmergencyOtherWest Nile VirusPublic assistance
21 Jul 2000DR-1335Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And FloodingPublic assistance
11 Sep 1998DR-1244Major disasterSevere StormNy - Severe Wx, Sept 7, 1998Individual assistance, Public assistance
24 Jan 1996DR-1095Major disasterFloodSevere Storms And FloodingIndividual assistance, Public assistance
17 Mar 1993EM-3107EmergencySnowstormSevere BlizzardPublic assistance
2 Oct 1975DR-487Major disasterFloodStorms, Rains, Landslides & FloodingIndividual assistance, Public assistance
23 Jun 1972DR-338Major disasterFloodTropical Storm AgnesIndividual 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 Madison County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).
Claims since 1978313
Paid claims252
Total paid$4.7M
Average paid claim$18K
Repetitive-loss properties143 severe
Residential policies in force2971.1% of 27,688 structures
Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsAmount paidAverage paid
20252523$506,023$22,001
202410$0—
202121$32,418$32,418
2017139$44,867$4,985
201610$0—
201432$2,024$1,012
201310296$3,529,790$36,769
201174$9,722$2,431
201021$8,572$8,572
200911$563$563
200844$21,874$5,468
200743$4,027$1,342
20061210$49,637$4,964
200522$7,813$3,907
2004139$35,019$3,891
200354$43,329$10,832
200210$0—
200120$0—
200083$23,292$7,764
199920$0—
19963832$148,219$4,632
199521$1,294$1,294
199497$26,113$3,730
19932218$110,712$6,151
199010$0—

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 Lowscore 59.4 of 100
Expected annual loss$23MRelatively Low
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Low
Community resilienceVery High
Hazard (NRI)Risk ratingExpected annual loss
Inland floodingRelatively Moderate$19,014,757
TornadoRelatively Low$1,020,062
LightningRelatively Moderate$591,588
Cold waveRelatively Low$584,178
Strong windRelatively Low$505,996
EarthquakeVery Low$265,100
Ice stormRelatively Moderate$254,154
HurricaneRelatively Low$216,272
Heat waveVery Low$204,526
Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$169,779
HailVery Low$119,210
WildfireVery Low$8,298
LandslideRelatively Low$3,632
AvalancheVery Low$11

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 miles7
Tracks within 50 miles2
Hurricane strength within 50 miles0
StormYearClosest approachMax wind while within 100 mi
Unnamed Atlantic storm193348 mi40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm192959 mi58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm190368 mi52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189399 mi69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm188593 mi46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm187898 mi81 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm187623 mi46 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

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 Madison County, NY?

NCEI records 102 hail events in Madison County since 1950, in 29 different years; that is about 1.3 recorded events a year. 9 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Madison County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 8 tornadoes in Madison County since 1950, 3 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 5.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Madison County?

20 Mar 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.

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

313 NFIP claims since 1978, 252 of them paid, for $4.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively 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 Madison County compare with the rest of New York?

95.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.3 statewide, and 4.6 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.