Onondaga County, New York: hazard risk
FEMA rates Onondaga County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 91.3 of 100, higher than 91% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, winter weather, ice storm. Its storm record holds 1,005 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | 98.3 | $6.2M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 97.6 | $1.2M |
| Ice Storm | Very High | 96.9 | $2.3M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 95.2 | $77M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 91.9 | $1.4M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 87.3 | $6.0M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 82.4 | $1.7M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 78.4 | $818K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 74.6 | $2.7M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 81.4 | $1.9M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 77.2 | $1.3M |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 62.4 | $3K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 46.3 | $38K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 40.4 | $278 |
| Drought | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 463 | 5 | $171M | 25th of 58 | 978th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 203 | 0 | $253K | 10th of 58 | 1478th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 177 | 1 | $12M | 23rd of 58 | 577th of 3,077 |
| Floods | 70 | 2 | $52M | 52nd of 58 | 1794th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 29 | 0 | $994K | 45th of 58 | 1331st of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 20 | 1 | $536K | 12th of 58 | 332nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 17 | 0 | $47K | 44th of 58 | 1120th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 8 | 0 | $12M | 35th of 58 | 2404th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 5 | 0 | – | 27th of 58 | 2141st of 3,063 |
| Heat | 5 | 0 | – | 31st of 58 | 1765th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 0 | – | 30th of 58 | 1495th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Onondaga County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.