Greene County, NY Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by hurricane. 1,096 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $25.25M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 1,096
- Most often winter weather
- Flood insurance policies
- 292
- 1.1% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 1
- 3 tropical storms or stronger since 1878
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Low
Score 68.3 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Score 50.3 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively High
Score 74.7 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $17.11B · Agriculture value exposed: $25.44M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $28.4M
Risk by hazard
- HurricaneRelatively Low$2.1M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 20 years
- AvalancheRelatively Low$6,916/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- LandslideRelatively Low$6,597/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- Ice stormRelatively Low$98.44K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- EarthquakeVery Low$324K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,030 years
- TornadoRelatively Low$1.35M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 6 years
- HailRelatively Low$221K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.9 events a year
- LightningRelatively Low$178K/yr expected annual loss, about 27 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Low$695K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.6 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$34.54K/yr expected annual loss, about 18 events a year
- Heat waveVery Low$161K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.4 events a year
- Strong windRelatively Low$234K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.9 events a year
- Coastal floodingVery Low$163/yr expected annual loss, about once every 83 years
- WildfireVery Low$6,458/yr expected annual loss, about once every 14,763 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: drought, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 292 of 26,809 (1.1%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 841
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 188 (22%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 587
- Claims paid since 1978
- $19.1M
Flood claims paid per year
- Hurricane Irene$12.62M · 225 claims
- Hurricane Sandy$1.19M · 28 claims
- Flooding$828K · 98 claims
- Hurricane Floyd$296K · 18 claims
- Torrential rain$233K · 21 claims
- December Nor'easter$135K · 3 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 1,096 events, 4 deaths, $21.51M in damage
- Winter Weather186
- Thunderstorm Wind144
- Winter Storm139
- Strong Wind78
- Heat73
- Flood72 · 2 deaths
- Flash Flood68 · 1 death
- Cold/Wind Chill63
- High Wind59
- Heavy Snow54 · 1 death
Events per year
9 tornadoes on record (EF0 1, EF1 1, F0 1, F1 4, F2 1, F4 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Heavy Snow03/13/2010
Western Greene
1 death, 1 injured
What happened
One man was found dead and another man rescued from Blackhead Mountain in the eastern Catskills Sunday night, March 14th.
- Flood12/18/2023
Leeds, Greene County
1 death, $30K damage
What happened
Rising waters on the Catskill Creek flooded portions of Route 23B and Cauterskill Road near Leeds. A 76-year-old woman died after their vehicle was swept off Cauterskill Road due to flood waters after driving around a traffic barrier blocking the road.
- Flood08/28/2011
Lanesville, Greene County
1 death
What happened
Route 214 was reported closed due to flooding from the Ulster-Greene County border, near Moggre Road, to Route 23A in Greene County. The Stony Clove Creek runs along much of Route 214. In Lanesville, a man drowned when the embankment he was standing on near a bridge near Ostrander Road gave way and swept him into the Stony Clove Creek. He was reported helping another person move a car across the bridge. Time of the fatality is unknown.
- Flash Flood08/28/2011
Hensonville, Greene County
1 death
What happened
A woman drowned when the house she was in was swept away by waters from the Batavia Kill on Maplecrest Road (County Route 40) in the hamlet of Maplecrest Town of Windham. The time of her death was unknown.
- TornadoF2, 1.5 mi path, 150 yd wide07/22/2003
Kiskatom, Greene County
7 injured, $1M damage
What happened
A large upper air trough dug across the western Great Lakes on Monday, July 21. At the surface, a deep low pressure area moved across the eastern Great Lakes, driving a warm front across eastern New York and adjacent New England. The air became very unstable in the warm air mass behind the front. The combination of the unstable air and strong wind shear aloft, produced the most significant severe outbreak of the season across the region, and the largest tornado outbreak since May 31, 1998. The first line of thunderstorms worked across the region during the afternoon hours. These produced spotty wind damage, mainly downed trees and wires across portions of Albany, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Schoharie Counties. Torrential rains falling in a very short interval of time caused flash flooding in the city of Schenectady. North Jay Street suddenly flooded and a woman had to be rescued from her car as it became submerged in about three feet of moving water. An even stronger line of storms moved east from central New York, into eastern New York during the evening hours. This squall line produced wind damage of its own, with spotty downed trees and wires across...
- Flood01/19/1996
Western Greene
$5M damage
What happened
An intense area of low pressure which was located over the Mid-Atlantic region on Friday morning January 19th produced unseasonably warm temperatures, high dewpoints and strong winds. This resulted in rapid melting of one to three feet of snow. In addition to the rapid snowmelt one to three inches of rain fell as the system moved northeast along the coast. This resulted in widespread flooding across Greene County. Federal Disaster Assistance was made available by presidential declaration. Small streams flooded across the entire county which resulted in many roads being washed out. Extensive flooding also occurred along the Hudson River and Schoharie Creek. In Athens, Coxsackie and New Baltimore flooding resulted in damage to their sewer treatment plants. In Prattsville severe damage was done to their water system. Flooding along the Hudson River damaged several marinas and parks including Riverside Park in Coxsackie, Athens Riverfront Park and the marina section of New Baltimore. Some of the most severe flooding occurred in Palenville, Athens, Windham and Lexington. Residents in Palenville were evacuated due to the flooding of Kaaterskill Creek. Several people in...
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Flood07/29/2026
West Coxsackie, Greene County
$500 damage
- Flood07/29/2026
Hunter, Greene County
$3,000 damage
- Flood07/29/2026
Hensonville, Greene County
$3,500 damage
- Flood07/29/2026
Lexington Maben Arpt, Greene County
$500 damage
- Flash Flood07/29/2026
West Coxsackie, Greene County
- Flash Flood07/29/2026
Lexington Maben Arpt, Greene County
$500 damage
- Flash Flood07/29/2026
Hunter, Greene County
$3,000 damage
- Flash Flood07/29/2026
Hensonville, Greene County
$3,500 damage
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Greene County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Isaias (2020)07/28/2020 · Landfall: NC · 986 mbTropical storm63 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1899)10/26/1899 · Landfall: SCTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1878)10/18/1878 · Landfall: NC · 963 mbCategory 181 mph nearby
Drinking water
36 community water systems serve about 27,972 people. Violations since 2021.
7 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 18 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Catskill VillageServes 8,000 · Surface water · Local government4 health violations+119 monitoring or reporting
- Coxsackie VillageServes 4,010 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Coxsackie Correctional FacilityServes 2,000 · Surface water · StateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Sleepy Hollow Lake Water Co.Serves 2,000 · Surface water · PrivateNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Athens VillageServes 1,700 · Surface water · Local government1 health violation+8 monitoring or reporting
- Cairo Water DistrictServes 1,400 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local government1 health violation+7 monitoring or reporting
- Greenville Water District No 1Serves 1,100 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+8 monitoring or reporting
- Hunter VillageServes 1,030 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+6 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at E Jewett, 3.2 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 77°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 11°F in Jan. About 56.1 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 94.5 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 11°F | 4.41 in | 20.9 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 12°F | 3.10 in | 18.4 in |
| Mar | 40°F | 19°F | 4.83 in | 18.4 in |
| Apr | 53°F | 30°F | 4.84 in | 6.3 in |
| May | 65°F | 40°F | 4.00 in | 0.2 in |
| Jun | 73°F | 49°F | 4.60 in | - |
| Jul | 77°F | 54°F | 4.60 in | - |
| Aug | 76°F | 52°F | 5.06 in | - |
| Sep | 69°F | 45°F | 5.27 in | - |
| Oct | 57°F | 35°F | 6.04 in | 2.1 in |
| Nov | 46°F | 27°F | 4.76 in | 6.1 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 18°F | 4.54 in | 22.1 in |
| Year | 44°F average | 56.1 in | 94.5 in | |
Pollution sites
1 Superfund site and 3 toxic release facilities in Greene County
Superfund sites
- American Thermostat co.FinalSouth Cairo
Toxic release facilities
- Ducommun Aerostructures New York Inc.694 lbs released, Coxsackie
- Heidelberg Materials US Cement LLC - Cementon Facility4.9 lbs released, Catskill
- Culpeper of Athens LLC0 lbs released, Athens
Total: 699 lbs in 2024, 699 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk72 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Greene County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Greene County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $25.25M a year. The highest-rated hazards are hurricane (relatively low), avalanche (relatively low), landslide (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Greene County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 1,096 storm events affecting Greene County, most often winter weather (186), thunderstorm wind (144), winter storm (139).
- How many tornadoes have hit Greene County?
- 9 tornadoes have been recorded in Greene County since 1950, including 1 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
- How many homes in Greene County have flood insurance?
- 292 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Greene County, covering about 1.1% of homes. The program has paid $19.1M on 587 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Greene County?
- At E Jewett, average highs reach 77°F in Jul and lows fall to 11°F in Jan, with 56.1 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.