New York heat wave risk

62 counties scored 2 rated Very High

Kings County has the highest heat wave risk in New York, scoring 99.7 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded heat wave events across New York have increased 42% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

#	County	NRI score	Rating	NOAA events 2016–2026
1	Kings County	99.7	Very High	0
2	Queens County	99.7	Very High	6
3	Bronx County	99.6	Relatively High	1
4	New York County	99.6	Relatively High	5
5	Richmond County	98.3	Relatively High	0
6	Westchester County	96.2	Relatively Moderate	0
7	Nassau County	96	Relatively Moderate	2
8	Erie County	95.4	Relatively Moderate	0
9	Monroe County	94.8	Relatively Moderate	0
10	Suffolk County	94.7	Relatively Moderate	0
11	Rockland County	90.4	Relatively Moderate	0
12	Orange County	87.3	Relatively Moderate	8
13	Onondaga County	82.4	Relatively Moderate	0
14	Dutchess County	77.5	Relatively Low	63
15	Albany County	73.2	Relatively Low	48
16	Broome County	70.5	Relatively Low	0
17	Ulster County	66.3	Relatively Low	9
18	Oneida County	64.3	Relatively Low	0
19	Saratoga County	59.5	Relatively Low	41
20	Niagara County	58.6	Relatively Low	0
21	Rensselaer County	57.6	Relatively Low	48
22	Schenectady County	57.1	Relatively Low	41
23	Chemung County	55.4	Relatively Low	0
24	Tompkins County	47.9	Relatively Low	0
25	Oswego County	47.7	Relatively Low	0
26	Putnam County	47.6	Relatively Low	2
27	Clinton County	47.2	Relatively Low	1
28	Ontario County	47	Relatively Low	0
29	Wayne County	46.6	Relatively Low	0
30	Steuben County	44.4	Relatively Low	0
31	Columbia County	44.2	Relatively Low	26
32	Cayuga County	42.4	Relatively Low	0
33	Washington County	41.4	Relatively Low	43
34	Sullivan County	40.8	Relatively Low	0
35	Tioga County	40.3	Relatively Low	1
36	Livingston County	38.1	Very Low	0
37	St. Lawrence County	37.4	Very Low	4
38	Montgomery County	36.4	Very Low	30
39	Madison County	35.8	Very Low	0
40	Warren County	35.5	Very Low	8
41	Greene County	34.6	Very Low	3
42	Genesee County	34.3	Very Low	0
43	Jefferson County	33.6	Very Low	0
44	Seneca County	33.5	Very Low	0
45	Herkimer County	33.1	Very Low	2
46	Essex County	31	Very Low	1
47	Chautauqua County	29.9	Very Low	0
48	Yates County	28.8	Very Low	0
49	Orleans County	28.3	Very Low	0
50	Fulton County	27.5	Very Low	4
51	Franklin County	26.9	Very Low	1
52	Chenango County	26.1	Very Low	0
53	Cortland County	23.2	Very Low	0
54	Cattaraugus County	21.1	Very Low	0
55	Delaware County	21.1	Very Low	0
56	Schuyler County	20.3	Very Low	0
57	Otsego County	19	Very Low	0
58	Wyoming County	15.8	Very Low	0
59	Lewis County	15.4	Very Low	0
60	Allegany County	14.5	Very Low	0
61	Schoharie County	14.3	Very Low	13
62	Hamilton County	3.5	Very Low	2

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.

Heat Wave risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in New York:

Wildfire Inland Flooding Coastal Flooding Earthquake Tornado Hurricane Hail Strong Wind Winter Weather Ice Storm Cold Wave Lightning Drought Landslide Avalanche Tsunami Volcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest heat wave risk county in New York?

Kings County, NY has the highest heat wave risk in New York, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.7 out of 100 (rated "Very High").

How many counties in New York are rated Very High for heat wave risk?

2 of 62 scored New York counties are rated "Very High" for heat wave risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.

What causes heat wave risk in New York?

Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.