New York avalanche risk
Essex County has the highest avalanche risk in New York, scoring 81.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County | 81.4 | Relatively Moderate |
| 2 | Greene County | 72.5 | Relatively Low |
| 3 | Ulster County | 71.1 | Relatively Low |
| 4 | Delaware County | 69.3 | Relatively Low |
| 5 | Warren County | 64 | Very Low |
| 6 | Hamilton County | 62 | Very Low |
| 7 | Washington County | 56.4 | Very Low |
| 8 | Steuben County | 56 | Very Low |
| 9 | Franklin County | 52.8 | Very Low |
| 10 | Schoharie County | 52 | Very Low |
| 11 | Chemung County | 51 | Very Low |
| 12 | Orange County | 50.1 | Very Low |
| 13 | Clinton County | 48.8 | Very Low |
| 14 | Dutchess County | 46.5 | Very Low |
| 15 | Ontario County | 43.9 | Very Low |
| 16 | Rensselaer County | 41.5 | Very Low |
| 17 | Onondaga County | 40.4 | Very Low |
| 18 | Columbia County | 38.2 | Very Low |
| 19 | Tioga County | 37.6 | Very Low |
| 20 | Schuyler County | 37.3 | Very Low |
| 21 | Otsego County | 36.7 | Very Low |
| 22 | Albany County | 36.5 | Very Low |
| 23 | Tompkins County | 36.4 | Very Low |
| 24 | Sullivan County | 36 | Very Low |
| 25 | Rockland County | 35.8 | Very Low |
| 26 | Cattaraugus County | 35.2 | Very Low |
| 27 | Putnam County | 33.6 | Very Low |
| 28 | Cortland County | 32.7 | Very Low |
| 29 | Livingston County | 31.4 | Very Low |
| 30 | Saratoga County | 31.3 | Very Low |
| 31 | Westchester County | 30.1 | Very Low |
| 32 | Cayuga County | 29.7 | Very Low |
| 33 | Montgomery County | 29.2 | Very Low |
| 34 | Herkimer County | 28.4 | Very Low |
| 35 | Allegany County | 26.5 | Very Low |
| 36 | Wyoming County | 25.6 | Very Low |
| 37 | Erie County | 24 | Very Low |
| 38 | Broome County | 20.6 | Very Low |
| 39 | Yates County | 20.3 | Very Low |
| 40 | St. Lawrence County | 17.8 | Very Low |
| 41 | Fulton County | 14.5 | Very Low |
| 42 | Chautauqua County | 14.2 | Very Low |
| 43 | Madison County | 11.3 | Very Low |
| 44 | Niagara County | 6.3 | Very Low |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Avalanche risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in New York:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest avalanche risk county in New York?
Essex County, NY has the highest avalanche risk in New York, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 81.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes avalanche risk in New York?
Avalanche risk reflects expected annual losses from snow avalanche events, primarily affecting mountain counties in the West. The highest scores belong to Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Washington counties where active ski terrain, mountain highways, and communities overlap with historically active avalanche paths and high seasonal snowpack. Avalanche events are reported at forecast-zone level in NOAA Storm Events and are not included in county-level counts.