Queens County, New York: hazard risk
FEMA rates Queens County's overall risk Relatively High (score 99.2 of 100, higher than 99% of rated U.S. counties); 12 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by winter weather, cold wave, strong wind. Its storm record holds 769 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | 99.7 | $1.6M |
| Cold Wave | Very High | 99.7 | $46M |
| Strong Wind | Very High | 99.7 | $9.8M |
| Heat Wave | Very High | 99.7 | $58M |
| Riverine Flooding | Very High | 99.3 | $185M |
| Coastal Flooding | Very High | 96.6 | $9.5M |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98.1 | $35M |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 97.1 | $25M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 96.2 | $1.4M |
| Hail | Relatively High | 94.1 | $1.6M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 91.4 | $662K |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 90.6 | $4.6M |
| Landslide | Very Low | 51.5 | $909 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 15.5 | $3K |
| Drought | Very Low | 13.7 | $112 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 212 | 27 | $79M | 1st of 58 | 2nd of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 154 | 2 | $701K | 1st of 58 | 9th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 130 | 2 | – | 2nd of 58 | 40th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 127 | 11 | $5.7M | 1st of 58 | 7th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $8K | 2nd of 58 | 594th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 28 | 33 | – | 2nd of 58 | 112th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 22 | 0 | – | 1st of 58 | 17th of 3,080 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 19 | 24 | – | 1st of 58 | 9th of 2,080 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 13 | 1 | $5K | 1st of 58 | 65th of 1,849 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $55K | 3rd of 58 | 88th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 8 | 0 | – | 1st of 58 | 565th of 3,063 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 6 | – | 19th of 58 | 547th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 2 | $23M | 1st of 58 | 768th 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 Queens County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.