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Center of downtown Clinton NYPhoto: kenneth c zirkel · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clinton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Clinton faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clinton gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 34 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 94%Strong wind 2%Ice storms 2%

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

more than 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in New York · higher than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
34
paid since 1979 · $1.1M
Flooded more than once
6
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Oneida County

What stands out about Clinton’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way3 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201316 flood claims were paid for 2013 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Clinton 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

94%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Clinton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clinton, and Clinton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Clinton sits
Clinton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $589K a year in losses across Clinton: $505K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Clinton’s 1,683 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Clinton flood? Sometimes: 34 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clinton, from FEMA’s records: 38.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 16 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 8 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120132017
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee5 claims · $32K
34
paid claims since 1979
$1.1M
paid to owners
6
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Oneida County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clinton

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$8K to the Village of Clinton for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Village of Clinton for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$72K to the Village of Clinton for repairs16 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee78 households applied for aid$189K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $32K
  5. 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$2K to the Village of Clinton for repairs
  6. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding18 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2002Snowstorms$4K to the Village of Clinton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClintonOneida County only

Oneida County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe 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 Clinton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Clinton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Clinton 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 Clinton

Is Clinton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clinton has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Clinton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 34 claims in Clinton since 1979, $1.1M in all, or 38.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (5).

Is Clinton 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 Oneida County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clinton?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clinton’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 Clinton?

By FEMA money that reached Clinton, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 78 households applied for aid, $189K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 5 paid, $32K.

Is Clinton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Clinton’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clinton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clinton’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.