County Hazards

States › New York › Richmond County

Richmond 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 36085 · 493,494 residents (2021) · 58 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 18Tornado · 4Flood · 66Wind · 92Winter · 0
1985-06-24: Hail1999-08-11: Hail2000-05-18: Hail2002-08-02: Hail2003-07-22: Hail2003-07-22: Hail2006-06-29: Hail2008-06-29: Hail2008-07-27: Hail2009-03-29: Hail2009-07-29: Hail2012-06-06: Hail2019-05-28: Hail2019-05-28: Hail2019-05-28: Hail2023-09-08: Hail2025-07-03: Hail1990-08-10: Tornado2003-10-27: Tornado2007-08-08: Tornado2006-11-08: Flood2007-04-15: Flood2008-07-27: Flood2008-09-06: Flood2009-10-24: Flood2009-07-29: Flood2011-08-27: Flood2011-08-27: Flood2011-08-14: Flood2012-06-06: Flood2012-06-22: Flood2012-06-22: Flood2013-05-23: Flood2013-05-23: Flood2014-06-13: Flood2015-05-31: Flood2017-10-29: Flood2017-05-05: Flood2018-04-16: Flood2018-09-28: Flood2018-07-27: Flood2018-07-27: Flood2018-07-27: Flood2019-07-31: Flood2019-07-31: Flood2019-08-07: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-09-02: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-09-01: Flood2021-08-27: Flood2021-08-22: Flood2025-07-31: Flood1988-07-10: Wind1989-11-20: Wind1990-10-18: Wind1990-08-29: Wind1990-08-28: Wind1991-07-21: Wind1992-07-15: Wind1992-08-11: Wind1992-01-14: Wind1996-06-11: Wind1996-08-09: Wind1996-09-08: Wind1997-07-09: Wind1997-07-18: Wind1997-08-05: Wind1997-05-06: Wind1998-09-07: Wind1998-09-07: Wind1998-04-09: Wind1998-06-30: Wind1999-01-18: Wind1999-08-05: Wind1999-07-24: Wind1999-08-13: Wind2002-04-19: Wind2002-08-02: Wind2003-07-22: Wind2003-10-27: Wind2005-06-22: Wind2006-06-29: Wind2006-07-12: Wind2006-07-21: Wind2006-07-28: Wind2006-08-10: Wind2007-05-16: Wind2007-05-16: Wind2008-06-16: Wind2009-07-29: Wind2010-09-22: Wind2010-09-16: Wind2010-09-16: Wind2010-09-16: Wind2010-09-16: Wind2010-09-16: Wind2010-09-16: Wind2011-08-18: Wind2012-07-26: Wind2012-09-08: Wind2012-06-22: Wind2014-07-08: Wind2014-07-08: Wind2014-07-23: Wind2018-07-27: Wind2018-07-27: Wind2018-07-27: Wind2018-07-27: Wind2018-07-27: Wind2019-04-15: Wind2019-05-26: Wind2019-06-29: Wind2019-06-29: Wind2019-06-29: Wind2019-06-29: Wind2019-07-31: Wind2019-09-02: Wind2020-04-09: Wind2021-06-04: Wind2021-03-28: Wind2021-08-27: Wind2022-05-28: Wind2022-03-07: Wind2022-08-04: Wind2024-06-30: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-03: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-03: Wind2025-07-03: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-07-25: Wind2025-09-06: Wind2025-09-06: Wind2026-06-22: Wind
Richmond 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.

Richmond County, New York, has 205 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 356.4 events per 100 square miles, above the New York figure of 120.3, and 4.2 per 10,000 residents against 28.6 statewide.

18 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 5 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $62M.

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 19,422 claims since 1978, of which 16,238 were paid, totalling $282M (about $17K per paid claim). FEMA counts 5,301 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 Moderate" ($82M a year across 18 hazards).

48 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 2 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

18events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026
205events since 19500 deaths, 5 injuries recorded
25disaster declarationslast 5 Sep 2021
19,422NFIP flood claims$282M paid

Compared with New York and the United States

MeasureRichmond CountyNew YorkUS
Recorded events since 195020556,6751,977,440
Events per 100 square miles356.4120.356.0
Events per 10,000 residents4.228.659.6
Events in the last 12 months181,94862,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI057826,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)$62M$5.7B$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents39.48.88.1
Average paid NFIP claim$17K$40K$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years8.910.116.1

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

Hail: 1Wind: 2
Hail: 2Tornado: 2Flood: 14Wind: 25Lightning: 1Other: 11
Hail: 9Tornado: 2Flood: 21Wind: 14Lightning: 3Other: 8
Hail: 4Flood: 20Wind: 27Lightning: 1
Hail: 2Flood: 11Wind: 24Lightning: 1
01950s01960s01970s31980s551990s572000s522010s382020s
Recorded events in Richmond County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 119 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 84 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

Wind92
Flood66
Other19
Hail18
Lightning6
Tornado4
HazardEventsDeathsShare of state's events
■ Wind92—0.4%detail
■ Flood66—1.0%detail
■ Other19—3.4%
■ Hail18—0.4%detail
■ Lightning6—1.0%
■ Tornado4—0.7%

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
1 Sep 2021Flash FloodFlood—$60M———County
10 Aug 1990TornadoTornadoF0———3County
7 Sep 1998Thunderstorm WindWind81 mph———1County
29 Jul 2009LightningLightning————1County
16 Sep 2010Thunderstorm WindWind70 mph$1.7M———County
28 Oct 1995TornadoTornadoF1$500K———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
5 Sep 2021DR-4615Major disasterHurricaneRemnants Of Hurricane IdaIndividual assistance, Public assistance
2 Sep 2021EM-3572EmergencyHurricaneRemnants Of Hurricane IdaPublic assistance
22 Aug 2021EM-3565EmergencyHurricaneHurricane HenriPublic assistance
2 Oct 2020DR-4567Major disasterHurricaneTropical Storm IsaiasPublic assistance
20 Mar 2020DR-4480Major disasterBiologicalCovid-19 PandemicIndividual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020EM-3434EmergencyBiologicalCovid-19Public assistance
30 Oct 2012DR-4085Major disasterHurricaneHurricane SandyIndividual assistance, Public assistance
28 Oct 2012EM-3351EmergencyHurricaneHurricane SandyPublic assistance
31 Aug 2011DR-4020Major disasterHurricaneHurricane IreneIndividual assistance, Public assistance
26 Aug 2011EM-3328EmergencyHurricaneHurricane IrenePublic assistance
18 Feb 2011DR-1957Major disasterSevere StormSevere Winter Storm And SnowstormPublic assistance
14 Oct 2010DR-1943Major disasterTornadoSevere Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line WindsPublic assistance
16 Apr 2010DR-1899Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And FloodingPublic assistance
24 Apr 2007DR-1692Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And Inland And Coastal FloodingIndividual assistance
30 Sep 2005EM-3262EmergencyHurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationPublic assistance
3 Aug 2004DR-1534Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And Flooding—
23 Aug 2003EM-3186EmergencyOtherPower OutagePublic assistance
27 Mar 2003EM-3184EmergencySnowstormSnowPublic assistance
11 Sep 2001DR-1391Major disasterFireFires And ExplosionsIndividual assistance, Public assistance
11 Oct 2000EM-3155EmergencyOtherWest Nile VirusPublic assistance
12 Jan 1996DR-1083Major disasterSnowstormBlizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)Public assistance
17 Mar 1993EM-3107EmergencySnowstormSevere BlizzardPublic assistance
17 Apr 1984DR-702Major disasterFloodCoastal Storms & FloodingPublic assistance
13 Sep 1971DR-311Major disasterFloodSevere Storms & FloodingPublic assistance
18 Aug 1965DR-204Major disasterDroughtWater ShortageIndividual 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 Richmond County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).
Claims since 197819,422
Paid claims16,238
Total paid$282M
Average paid claim$17K
Repetitive-loss properties2,38745 severe
Residential policies in force5,3014.4% of 119,930 structures
Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsAmount paidAverage paid
202641$4,488$4,488
202574$148,493$37,123
202440$0—
20232113$116,688$8,976
2022148$88,293$11,037
2021360298$6,047,463$20,293
202030$0—
201974$68,017$17,004
20182213$90,527$6,964
20172814$174,861$12,490
201660$0—
20152713$54,053$4,158
20144528$136,931$4,890
2013113$33,452$11,151
20124,1364,014$237,710,807$59,220
2011941708$5,659,310$7,993
2010175104$1,447,398$13,917
2009123$15,469$5,156
2008129$55,150$6,128
2007204166$1,011,275$6,092
2006159$107,927$11,992
2005138$38,431$4,804
20043518$101,572$5,643
20032510$35,473$3,547
2002148$54,783$6,848

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 91.0 of 100
Expected annual loss$82MRelatively Moderate
Social vulnerabilityRelatively High
Community resilienceRelatively High
Hazard (NRI)Risk ratingExpected annual loss
Inland floodingRelatively Moderate$40,590,005
Heat waveRelatively High$13,365,880
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$6,746,571
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$6,168,949
Cold waveRelatively High$5,646,315
TornadoRelatively Moderate$4,073,416
Strong windRelatively High$2,160,354
Coastal floodingRelatively Moderate$2,043,390
HailRelatively Low$439,907
Winter weatherRelatively High$335,484
LightningRelatively Moderate$306,873
Ice stormRelatively Moderate$150,645
WildfireVery Low$13,245
DroughtVery Low$5,705
LandslideVery Low$1,200

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 miles48
Tracks within 50 miles20
Hurricane strength within 50 miles2
StormYearClosest approachMax wind while within 100 mi
Elsa202158 mi58 mph
Ida202170 mi46 mph
Fay202026 mi52 mph
Isaias202055 mi63 mph
Andrea201354 mi46 mph
Sandy201276 mi81 mph
Irene20118 mi69 mph
Hanna200843 mi52 mph
Charley200489 mi40 mph
Allison200196 mi46 mph
Floyd199934 mi58 mph
Bertha199631 mi69 mph
Gloria198544 mi86 mph
Henri198563 mi40 mph
Belle197658 mi69 mph
Agnes197246 mi63 mph
Doria197150 mi52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm196844 mi63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm196150 mi63 mph
Brenda196018 mi58 mph
Donna196055 mi98 mph
Diane195519 mi46 mph
Able195248 mi58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm194488 mi40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm194467 mi104 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 Richmond County, NY?

NCEI records 18 hail events in Richmond County since 1950, in 13 different years; that is about 0.2 recorded events a year. 1 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Richmond County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 4 tornadoes in Richmond County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Richmond 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 Richmond County, and how much was paid?

19,422 NFIP claims since 1978, 16,238 of them paid, for $282M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Richmond 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 Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

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

356.4 recorded events per 100 square miles against 120.3 statewide, and 39.4 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.