States › New York › Otsego County

Otsego 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 36077 · 58,123 residents (2021) · 1,002 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 134Tornado · 14Flood · 78Wind · 470Winter · 119

Otsego 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 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 849 events for Otsego County, New York, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 84.8 events per 100 square miles, below the New York figure of 120.3, and 146.1 per 10,000 residents against 28.6 statewide.

15 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 3 deaths and 22 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $128M and crop damage at $10K.

FEMA has designated the county in 27 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Henri (emergency, 22 Aug 2021).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 463 claims since 1978, of which 365 were paid, totalling $9.0M (about $25K per paid claim). FEMA counts 256 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" ($32M a year across 18 hazards).

11 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.

15events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

849events since 19503 deaths, 22 injuries recorded

27disaster declarationslast 22 Aug 2021

463NFIP flood claims$9.0M paid

Compared with New York and the United States

Measure	Otsego County	New York	US
Recorded events since 1950	849	56,675	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	84.8	120.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	146.1	28.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	15	1,948	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	3	578	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$128M	$5.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	8.0	8.8	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$25K	$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

Tornado: 1

Tornado: 1Wind: 4

Tornado: 1Wind: 6

Tornado: 4Wind: 47

Hail: 5Tornado: 3Flood: 10Wind: 104Winter: 24Cold: 5Drought: 2

Hail: 67Tornado: 1Flood: 25Wind: 92Winter: 46Heat: 2Cold: 11Drought: 1Lightning: 3Other: 1

Hail: 50Tornado: 2Flood: 21Wind: 104Winter: 26Heat: 2Other: 2

Hail: 12Tornado: 1Flood: 22Wind: 113Winter: 23Cold: 5

11950s51960s71970s511980s1531990s2492000s2072010s1762020s

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

Trend: 488 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 329 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

Wind470

Hail134

Winter119

Flood78

Cold21

Tornado14

Heat4

Drought3

Lightning3

Other3

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	470	2	1.9%	detail
■ Hail	134	—	2.6%	detail
■ Winter	119	—	0.9%	detail
■ Flood	78	—	1.1%	detail
■ Cold	21	1	0.7%
■ Tornado	14	—	2.5%	detail
■ Heat	4	—	0.3%
■ Drought	3	—	0.8%
■ Lightning	3	—	0.5%
■ 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
31 May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$100K	—	1	5	County
16 Jun 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	1	—	County
26 Jan 2022	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
31 May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$125K	—	—	10	County
7 Sep 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$58M	—	—	—	County
27 Jun 2006	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$50M	—	—	—	County
31 May 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$800K	—	—	3	County
3 Aug 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$3K	—	—	1	County
3 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$3K	—	—	1	County
17 Jul 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$2K	—	—	1	County
20 Jul 1990	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
19 Jan 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$5.4M	—	—	—	County
5 Jul 1992	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$2.5M	—	—	—	County
7 Sep 2011	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$2.0M	—	—	—	County
4 Apr 2003	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
18 Sep 2004	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
26 Apr 2011	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
2 Apr 2005	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
3 Jan 2003	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$300K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Jun 1976	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	—	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
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
19 Dec 2019	DR-4472	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, 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
16 Apr 2010	DR-1899	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
18 Dec 2008	EM-3299	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	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	Public assistance
3 Aug 2004	DR-1534	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	—
23 Aug 2003	EM-3186	Emergency	Other	Power Outage	Public assistance
12 May 2003	DR-1467	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Ice Storm	Public assistance
25 Feb 2003	EM-3173	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snowstorms	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
16 Jun 1998	DR-1222	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Public assistance
24 Jan 1996	DR-1095	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
17 Mar 1993	EM-3107	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Blizzard	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 Otsego County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978463

Paid claims365

Total paid$9.0M

Average paid claim$25K

Repetitive-loss properties573 severe

Residential policies in force2560.9% of 27,383 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2023	1	1	$61,317	$61,317
2022	3	0	$0	—
2021	3	2	$8,092	$4,046
2018	1	0	$0	—
2017	5	2	$52,452	$26,226
2016	2	0	$0	—
2014	2	0	$0	—
2013	7	6	$92,585	$15,431
2012	1	0	$0	—
2011	165	132	$2,546,513	$19,292
2010	3	1	$1,457	$1,457
2009	3	1	$4,371	$4,371
2007	1	1	$6,113	$6,113
2006	196	175	$6,126,657	$35,009
2005	4	3	$32,979	$10,993
2004	1	1	$10,622	$10,622
2003	1	1	$1,534	$1,534
2001	1	0	$0	—
2000	3	1	$4,604	$4,604
1999	3	1	$3,247	$3,247
1998	2	1	$5,386	$5,386
1996	9	3	$12,486	$4,162
1993	6	4	$8,874	$2,218
1987	1	0	$0	—
1986	3	2	$2,406	$1,203

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 75.8 of 100

Expected annual loss$32MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$24,342,368
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$4,538,392
Tornado	Relatively Low	$978,585
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$553,159
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$301,884
Earthquake	Very Low	$214,232
Lightning	Relatively Low	$206,684
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$118,387
Hail	Very Low	$116,376
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$59,960
Heat wave	Very Low	$50,745
Landslide	Relatively Low	$11,177
Wildfire	Very Low	$9,944
Avalanche	Very Low	$158

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 miles11

Tracks within 50 miles1

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Irene	2011	99 mi	58 mph
David	1979	82 mi	46 mph
Agnes	1972	70 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	67 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	29 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	82 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	65 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	81 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1878	73 mi	81 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1876	60 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1863	89 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

13849 187
13820 114
13439 34
13825 32
12155 19
13326 11
13796 7
12064 6
12116 6
12197 6
13337 6
13834 6
13859 6
13776 5
13807 5
13843 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 Otsego County, NY?

NCEI records 134 hail events in Otsego County since 1950, in 21 different years; that is about 1.7 recorded events a year. 10 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Otsego County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 14 tornadoes in Otsego County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Otsego County?

22 Aug 2021: Hurricane Henri, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 27 declarations since 1953.

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

463 NFIP claims since 1978, 365 of them paid, for $9.0M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Otsego 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 Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

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

84.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.3 statewide, and 8.0 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 29 Sep 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 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.