New York drought risk
Ontario County has the highest drought risk in New York, scoring 75.7 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ontario County | 75.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 2 | Yates County | 74.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 3 | Genesee County | 74 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 4 | Orange County | 73.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 5 | Seneca County | 72.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | Livingston County | 66.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Schuyler County | 66.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Tompkins County | 62.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 9 | Cayuga County | 56.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 10 | Monroe County | 56.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 11 | Steuben County | 55.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 12 | Wyoming County | 55 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 13 | Ulster County | 49.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Dutchess County | 44.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 15 | Chemung County | 41.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | Tioga County | 41.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Erie County | 35.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | Wayne County | 34.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Westchester County | 30.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 20 | Sullivan County | 24.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 21 | Richmond County | 22.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 22 | Rockland County | 21.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 23 | Allegany County | 19.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 24 | Putnam County | 19.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 25 | Orleans County | 17.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 26 | Niagara County | 17.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 27 | Nassau County | 17.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 28 | Columbia County | 16.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 29 | Suffolk County | 14.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Kings County | 13.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 31 | Queens County | 13.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 32 | Albany County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 33 | Bronx County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 34 | Broome County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 35 | Cattaraugus County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 36 | Chautauqua County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 37 | Chenango County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 38 | Clinton County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 39 | Cortland County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 40 | Delaware County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 41 | Essex County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 42 | Franklin County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 43 | Fulton County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 44 | Greene County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 45 | Hamilton County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 46 | Herkimer County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 47 | Jefferson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 48 | Lewis County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 49 | Madison County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 50 | Montgomery County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 51 | New York County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 52 | Oneida County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 53 | Onondaga County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 54 | Oswego County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 55 | Otsego County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 56 | Rensselaer County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 57 | St. Lawrence County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 58 | Saratoga County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 59 | Schenectady County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 60 | Schoharie County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 61 | Warren County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 62 | Washington County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
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.
Drought risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in New York:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in New York?
Ontario County, NY has the highest drought risk in New York, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 75.7 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes drought risk in New York?
Drought risk captures expected annual losses from prolonged precipitation deficits affecting agriculture, water supply, and ecosystems. High scores cover the western Great Plains, Southwest, and California's Central Valley. Climate change is increasing drought frequency and severity across much of the US, with multi-year droughts becoming more common in the West.