Orange County, New York: hazard risk
FEMA rates Orange County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 90.6 of 100, higher than 90% of rated U.S. counties); 5 of its 16 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, winter weather, riverine flooding. Its storm record holds 972 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 | Relatively High | 95.5 | $3.6M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 93.7 | $639K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 93.4 | $63M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 89.7 | $7.5M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 87.9 | $1.2M |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 92.5 | $89K |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 90.8 | $9.8M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 87.3 | $2.7M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 81.9 | $4.8M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 76.8 | $356K |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 73.7 | $710K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 87.3 | $3.9M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | 47.6 | $73K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 35.9 | $168K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 51.2 | $56K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 50.1 | $618 |
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 | 442 | 5 | $3.9M | 20th of 58 | 834th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 153 | 2 | $55M | 17th of 58 | 750th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 146 | 1 | – | 40th of 58 | 834th of 3,077 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $985K | 29th of 58 | 2168th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 36 | 2 | $888K | 37th of 58 | 990th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 32 | 1 | $302K | 7th of 58 | 185th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 20 | 1 | – | 8th of 58 | 355th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 17 | 1 | – | 20th of 58 | 1122nd of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 13 | 10 | $68M | 17th of 58 | 2182nd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 10 | 0 | – | 13th of 58 | 1902nd of 3,063 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 0 | – | 57th of 58 | 2162nd of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 2 | 0 | $5K | 15th of 58 | 880th of 1,849 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Orange County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.