Natural hazards · Syracuse

Syracuse, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Syracuse comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 93 claims here since 1978. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Syracuse?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Syracuse to be higher than in 31% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding73%Tornadoes7%Strong wind7%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Syracuse faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Syracuse flood?

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

93paid claims since 1978

$423Kpaid to owners

7homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Fred: 3 claims, $11K
Tropical Storm Henri: 2 claims, $8K
Torrential rain: 1 claim, $1K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 15% off flood insurance. Syracuse is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Onondaga County.

Disasters that hit Syracuse

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SyracuseDeclared for Onondaga County only

2021

Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred

$838K to the City of Syracuse for repairs

2011

Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds

$1.5M to the City of Syracuse for repairs

2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $1K aid approved

2003

Ice Storm

112 households applied for aid $54K aid approved

2000

Severe Storms and Flooding

$76K to the City of Syracuse for repairs

Onondaga County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Syracuse

Syracuse and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Syracusemostly inland floodingLow

Geddesmostly inland floodingVery low

DeWittmostly inland floodingVery low

Salinamostly inland floodingVery low

East Syracusemostly inland floodingVery low

Onondagamostly inland floodingVery low

Solvaymostly 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. Syracuse covers 55 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Syracuse’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Syracuse. 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 Syracuse total about $28.9M 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.