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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Argyle · FEMA

FEMA puts Argyle’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Argyle gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #256 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 88%Hurricanes 5%Earthquakes 3%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#256 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#256 of 758
in New York · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2011 · $7K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 9 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Argyle faces

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

River and rain flooding

88%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Landslides top 5% Lightning Hail Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Argyle’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

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

What’s behind Argyle’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Argyle, and Argyle’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Argyle sits
Argyle
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #256 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Argyle’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Hurricanes5%Earthquakes3%Everything else5%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Argyle has less expected damage per building than 66% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $839K a year in losses across Argyle: $592K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Argyle’s 3,644 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Argyle village (289 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Argyle flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Argyle, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $7K
1
paid claims since 2011
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Argyle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Argyle

Disasters that paid out in Argyle itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Argyle), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Hurricane Irene$51K to the Town of Argyle for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $7K
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storm$83K to the Town of Argyle for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$81K to the Town of Argyle for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ArgyleWashington County only

Washington County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

Old photos of Argyle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Argyle archive →
Next door

Argyle and its neighbors

Argyle is 2nd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Greenwich: hazard risk BFort Edward: hazard risk B+Hebron: hazard risk CHartford: hazard risk A−Kingsbury: hazard risk AGreenwichFort EdwardHebronHartfordKingsburyArgyle
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
KingsburyAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
ArgyleA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding1
HartfordA−less damage than 75%river and rain flooding—
Fort EdwardB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding3
GreenwichBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding1
HebronCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding3

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Argyle faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Argyle

Is Argyle at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Argyle has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #256 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Argyle flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Argyle since 2011, $7K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Argyle in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Washington County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Argyle?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Argyle’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Argyle?

By FEMA money that reached Argyle, Severe Winter Storm (2008): $83K to the Town of Argyle for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $7K.

Is Argyle at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Argyle’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Argyle.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Argyle’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.