Natural hazards · Ithaca

Ithaca, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ithaca comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1979. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Ithaca?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ithaca to be higher than in 47% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding83%Tornadoes7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Ithaca faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

83% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Ithaca flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ithaca, from FEMA’s records.

14paid claims since 1979

$36Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Ithaca isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Tompkins County.

Disasters that hit Ithaca

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Ithaca itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Ithaca.

Brought FEMA money into IthacaDeclared for Tompkins County only

2000

Severe Storms and Flooding

$4K to the Town of Ithaca for repairs

Tompkins County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Ithaca

Ithaca and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Drydenmostly inland floodingHigh

Newfieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Danbymostly inland floodingModerate

Enfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

Ithacamostly inland floodingModerate

Lansingmostly inland floodingLow

Cayuga Heightsmostly inland floodingLow

Lansingmostly inland floodingVery low

Ulyssesmostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Ithaca covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ithaca’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ithaca. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Ithaca total about $7.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.