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Queens 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 36081 · 2,331,143 residents (2021) · 109 sq mi · dominant hazard Flood

Hail · 28Tornado · 5Flood · 186Wind · 182Winter · 33

Queens 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 489 events for Queens County, New York, between 1950 and 2026; floods and flash floods account for the largest share.

That is 449.8 events per 100 square miles, above the New York figure of 120.3, and 2.1 per 10,000 residents against 28.6 statewide.

22 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 51 deaths and 83 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $85M.

FEMA has designated the county in 25 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Remnants Of Hurricane Ida (major disaster, 5 Sep 2021).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 14,948 claims since 1978, of which 12,819 were paid, totalling $708M (about $55K per paid claim). FEMA counts 11,977 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($377M a year across 18 hazards).

52 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 6 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

22events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

489events since 195051 deaths, 83 injuries recorded

25disaster declarationslast 5 Sep 2021

14,948NFIP flood claims$708M paid

Compared with New York and the United States

Measure	Queens County	New York	US
Recorded events since 1950	489	56,675	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	449.8	120.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	2.1	28.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	22	1,948	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	51	578	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$85M	$5.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	6.4	8.8	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$55K	$40K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	10.9	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

Wind: 1

Hail: 2Wind: 6

Wind: 4

Hail: 2Tornado: 1Wind: 8

Hail: 1Flood: 24Wind: 27Winter: 5Heat: 1Other: 9

Hail: 13Flood: 67Wind: 48Winter: 26Tropical: 3Heat: 4Cold: 5Drought: 8Lightning: 2Other: 11

Hail: 7Tornado: 4Flood: 49Wind: 53Winter: 2Tropical: 1Heat: 1Lightning: 5Other: 3

Hail: 3Flood: 46Wind: 35Lightning: 2

11950s81960s41970s111980s671990s1872000s1252010s862020s

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

Trend: 290 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 166 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

Flood186

Wind182

Winter33

Hail28

Other23

Lightning9

Drought8

Heat6

Tornado5

Cold5

Tropical4

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Flood	186	15	2.7%	detail
■ Wind	182	7	0.7%	detail
■ Winter	33	—	0.2%	detail
■ Hail	28	—	0.6%	detail
■ Other	23	—	4.2%
■ Lightning	9	—	1.5%
■ Drought	8	—	2.1%
■ Heat	6	21	0.4%
■ Tornado	5	2	0.9%
■ Cold	5	6	0.2%
■ Tropical	4	—	3.3%

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
1 Aug 2006	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	14	—	Forecast zone
6 Mar 1997	High Wind	Wind	60 mph	—	—	4	6	Forecast zone
4 Feb 2007	Extreme Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	4	—	Forecast zone
4 Jul 2010	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	4	—	Forecast zone
4 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	3	—	Forecast zone
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	3	—	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	3	—	County
3 Jun 1996	Flood	Flood	—	—	—	2	21	County
18 Jul 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	—	—	2	16	County
16 Sep 2010	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$17M	—	2	1	County
17 Jan 2000	Extreme Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	2	—	Forecast zone
11 Aug 2004	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	2	—	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	2	—	County
23 Dec 2004	Strong Wind	Wind	46 mph	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	—	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	—	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	—	County
31 Dec 1996	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	—	15	County
5 Oct 1985	Tornado	Tornado	F1	—	—	—	6	County
1 Sep 2021	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$60M	—	—	—	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
5 Sep 2021	DR-4615	Major disaster	Hurricane	Remnants Of Hurricane Ida	Individual assistance, Public assistance
2 Sep 2021	EM-3572	Emergency	Hurricane	Remnants Of Hurricane Ida	Public assistance
22 Aug 2021	EM-3565	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Henri	Public assistance
2 Oct 2020	DR-4567	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Isaias	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
30 Oct 2012	DR-4085	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3351	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	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
18 Feb 2011	DR-1957	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
14 Oct 2010	DR-1943	Major disaster	Tornado	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
31 Aug 2007	DR-1724	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornado	Individual 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	—
23 Aug 2003	EM-3186	Emergency	Other	Power Outage	Public assistance
27 Mar 2003	EM-3184	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	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
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
17 Apr 1984	DR-702	Major disaster	Flood	Coastal Storms & Flooding	Public assistance
2 Oct 1975	DR-487	Major disaster	Flood	Storms, Rains, Landslides & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Sep 1971	DR-311	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & 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 Queens County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197814,948

Paid claims12,819

Total paid$708M

Average paid claim$55K

Repetitive-loss properties1,48290 severe

Residential policies in force11,9773.7% of 322,316 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	51	30	$904,822	$30,161
2025	28	18	$569,891	$31,661
2024	72	46	$838,540	$18,229
2023	273	209	$5,303,705	$25,377
2022	454	390	$10,343,374	$26,521
2021	308	249	$12,112,581	$48,645
2020	14	4	$8,884	$2,221
2019	16	5	$297,408	$59,482
2018	73	32	$939,406	$29,356
2017	16	4	$22,254	$5,563
2016	24	13	$227,606	$17,508
2015	13	6	$15,331	$2,555
2014	172	121	$2,484,467	$20,533
2013	28	10	$61,490	$6,149
2012	7,717	7,406	$631,686,243	$85,294
2011	1,342	1,112	$14,707,742	$13,226
2010	138	86	$663,633	$7,717
2009	33	21	$228,796	$10,895
2008	38	29	$690,623	$23,815
2007	125	101	$1,838,028	$18,198
2006	28	22	$292,804	$13,309
2005	267	199	$1,551,399	$7,796
2004	64	49	$491,409	$10,029
2003	25	10	$30,566	$3,057
2002	23	17	$45,843	$2,697

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 Highscore 99.2 of 100

Expected annual loss$377MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very High	$185,261,695
Heat wave	Very High	$57,633,258
Cold wave	Very High	$45,755,069
Earthquake	Relatively High	$34,718,789
Hurricane	Relatively High	$24,590,446
Strong wind	Very High	$9,799,314
Coastal flooding	Very High	$9,475,886
Tornado	Relatively High	$4,647,482
Winter weather	Very High	$1,642,093
Hail	Relatively High	$1,589,908
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,357,575
Ice storm	Relatively High	$661,685
Wildfire	Very Low	$3,279
Landslide	Very Low	$909
Drought	Very Low	$112

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 miles52

Tracks within 50 miles25

Hurricane strength within 50 miles6

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	46 mi	58 mph
Ida	2021	55 mi	46 mph
Fay	2020	40 mi	52 mph
Isaias	2020	68 mi	63 mph
Andrea	2013	54 mi	46 mph
Sandy	2012	87 mi	81 mph
Irene	2011	9 mi	69 mph
Hanna	2008	57 mi	52 mph
Barry	2007	91 mi	40 mph
Charley	2004	94 mi	40 mph
Allison	2001	96 mi	46 mph
Floyd	1999	18 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	47 mi	69 mph
Gloria	1985	29 mi	86 mph
Henri	1985	51 mi	40 mph
Belle	1976	41 mi	69 mph
Agnes	1972	39 mi	63 mph
Doria	1971	38 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1968	29 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	34 mi	63 mph
Brenda	1960	11 mi	58 mph
Donna	1960	48 mi	98 mph
Diane	1955	36 mi	46 mph
Carol	1954	88 mi	115 mph
Able	1952	62 mi	58 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

11697 2,375
11694 2,319
11691 2,303
11414 2,033
11692 1,646
11693 1,605
11422 377
11365 203
11413 149
11357 138
11354 118
11420 113
11355 105
11101 86
11363 78
11356 74
11434 74
11361 65
11375 63
11358 61
11362 61
11364 53
11102 49
11435 48
11377 47
11360 46
11379 41
11366 40
11417 35
11374 33
11378 33
11369 31
11433 30
11432 29
11412 24
11423 23
11367 21
11436 20
11105 19
11385 19
11368 17
11373 17
11418 17
11411 16
11103 15
11106 15
11421 15
11427 14
11227 13
11372 12
11416 9
11004 8
11104 8
11419 8
11428 8
11429 8
11690 8
11370 7
11426 7

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 Queens County, NY?

NCEI records 28 hail events in Queens County since 1950, in 15 different years; that is about 0.4 recorded events a year. 4 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Queens County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 5 tornadoes in Queens County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 2.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Queens County?

5 Sep 2021: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 25 declarations since 1953.

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

14,948 NFIP claims since 1978, 12,819 of them paid, for $708M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

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

449.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.3 statewide, and 6.4 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.