FEMA declarations
59
Below median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Massachusetts Natural Disasters
Massachusetts's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 59 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by severe storm, with $84.3M in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 6,781 recorded weather events resulting in 17 fatalities, numbers that shape which hazards get priority in the state's preparedness planning.
- 59
- FEMA declarations
- 6,781
- NOAA storm events
- 17
- Storm fatalities
- $84.3M
- Property + crop damage
The Massachusetts risk picture
2 of the 14 counties FEMA scores, 14%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Massachusetts has 36 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 59 injuries statewide.
- 14%
- of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 59
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $84.3M
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 35,060
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
61%
Major-heavy
NOAA storm events
6,781
Observed severe-weather records
How does Massachusetts compare?
Massachusetts vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
59 31st percentile higher than 31% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Massachusetts county risk-score spread
FEMA National Risk Index composite scores, 0–100
78.8 29th percentile higher than 29% of 14 county composite scores
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more county composite scores. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA National Risk Index (NRI), county composite scores · 2026-08-03
The declaration chart counts past federal actions. The county score chart summarizes FEMA's modeled National Risk Index composite; it is not a forecast, and a state average does not describe every county.
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
Massachusetts sits at the 25th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 33rd percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes Massachusetts's record?
FEMA declaration types in Massachusetts
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Severe Storm
Severe Storm
12 declarations
- Hurricane
Hurricane
12 declarations
- Snowstorm
Snowstorm
10 declarations
- Flood
Flood
8 declarations
- Biological 4
Biological
4 declarations
- Fire 4
Fire
4 declarations
- Coastal Storm 2
Coastal Storm
2 declarations
- Tornado 2
Tornado
2 declarations
What this shows Severe Storm leads Massachusetts's FEMA declaration mix with 12 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year
Reported severe-weather events in Massachusetts, 2015–2025 catalog window.
Peak year in this series: 2016 (889 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
39 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Massachusetts · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate
10/30
59 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Moderate
8/25
6781 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (0.6x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Low
1/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (0.1x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
13 different disaster types declared in Massachusetts
What does Massachusetts's hazard record show?
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 14Massachusetts counties have filed 35,060 NFIP claims totaling $438.5M, or an average of $12.5K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Riverine Flooding, estimated at $0.9B annually. Drill into individual counties for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Massachusetts recorded 6,781 individual storm events, causing 17 fatalities and 59 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $84.3M. The most frequent event types in the state are Thunderstorm Wind (2,101 events), Strong Wind (1,019 events), High Wind (722 events). Across the 14counties FEMA scores here, its National Risk Index flags 2 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 78.8/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
FEMA disaster declarations
Massachusetts (MA) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 59 FEMA declaration records, including 36 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Severe Storm, followed by Hurricane (12), Snowstorm (10), Flood (8). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Disaster Types in Massachusetts
Severe Storm 12
Hurricane 12
Snowstorm 10
Flood 8
Biological 4
Fire 4
Coastal Storm 2
Tornado 2
Severe Ice Storm 1
Fishing Losses 1
Terrorist 1
Other 1
Winter Storm 1
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Massachusetts (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,101 | 2 | 7 | $13.2M |
| Strong Wind | 1,019 | 4 | 8 | $3.2M |
| High Wind | 722 | 3 | 10 | $10.8M |
| Flood | 563 | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Winter Weather | 390 | 1 | 14 | $1.4M |
| Heavy Snow | 379 | 4 | 1 | $720.5K |
| Hail | 333 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 300 | 0 | 0 | $31.6M |
| Winter Storm | 227 | 0 | 0 | $526.0K |
| Drought | 171 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Lightning | 134 | 0 | 8 | $2.0M |
| Coastal Flood | 127 | 0 | 1 | $3.7M |
| Tropical Storm | 68 | 0 | 3 | $591.8K |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 56 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 42 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Tornado | 39 | 0 | 2 | $11.9M |
| Blizzard | 37 | 1 | 0 | $434.5K |
| Heat | 30 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Excessive Heat | 11 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | 0 | $25.0K |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 335 | 0 | 3 | $505.3K |
| 2024 | 314 | 0 | 3 | $275.8K |
| 2023 | 475 | 2 | 5 | $3.2M |
| 2022 | 439 | 1 | 0 | $897.0K |
| 2021 | 585 | 1 | 4 | $9.2M |
| 2020 | 850 | 1 | 14 | $32.2M |
| 2019 | 860 | 0 | 3 | $10.6M |
| 2018 | 672 | 2 | 6 | $9.6M |
| 2017 | 757 | 3 | 14 | $5.2M |
| 2016 | 889 | 4 | 4 | $7.0M |
| 2015 | 605 | 3 | 3 | $5.5M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 59 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 59 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
59 unique disaster declarations in Massachusetts.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4919 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Winter Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 4780 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-05-15 |
| 3599 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-15 |
| 4651 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2022-04-18 |
| 3566 | TROPICAL STORM HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 4496 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-27 |
| 3438 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3484 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 3497 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4379 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2018-07-19 |
| 4372 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-06-25 |
| 4214 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-04-13 |
| 4110 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2013-04-19 |
| 3362 | EXPLOSIONS | EM | Terrorist | 2013-04-17 |
| 4097 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-12-19 |
| 3350 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4051 | SEVERE STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-01-06 |
| 3343 | SEVERE STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2011-11-01 |
| 4028 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-03 |
| 3330 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-26 |
| 1994 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 2011-06-15 |
| 1959 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2011-03-07 |
| 3315 | HURRICANE EARL | EM | Hurricane | 2010-09-02 |
| 3312 | WATER MAIN BREAK | EM | Other | 2010-05-03 |
| 1895 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-03-29 |
| 1813 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-05 |
| 3296 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Storm | 2008-12-13 |
| 1701 | SEVERE STORMS AND INLAND AND COASTAL FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-16 |
| 1642 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-05-25 |
| 1614 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-11-10 |
| 3264 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | EM | Severe Storm | 2005-10-19 |
| 3252 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 3201 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-02-17 |
| 1512 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2004-04-21 |
| 3191 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-15 |
| 3175 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-11 |
| 1364 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-04-10 |
| 3165 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-03-28 |
| 3153 | WAREHOUSE FIRE. | EM | Fire | 1999-12-06 |
| 1224 | HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1998-06-23 |
| 1142 | EXTREME WEATHER CONDITONS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-10-25 |
| 3119 | EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FLOODING | EM | Flood | 1996-10-23 |
| 1090 | BLIZZARD OF 96 | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-24 |
| 2116 | RUSSELL FIRE | FM | Fire | 1995-09-12 |
| 3103 | BLIZZARDS, HIGH WINDS & RECORD SNOWFALL | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-16 |
| 975 | WINTER COASTAL STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 1992-12-21 |
| 920 | COASTAL STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 1991-11-04 |
| 914 | HURRICANE BOB | DR | Hurricane | 1991-08-26 |
| 790 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-04-18 |
| 751 | HURRICANE GLORIA | DR | Hurricane | 1985-10-28 |
Showing 50 of 59 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Massachusetts counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
78.8/100
High Risk Counties
2
of 14 counties
Top Hazard by EAL
Riverine Flooding
$0.9B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Riverine Flooding
$943.5M EAL
#2
Hurricane
$192.8M EAL
#3
Earthquake
$83.2M EAL
#4
Coastal Flooding
$61.0M EAL
#5
Cold Wave
$49.1M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across Massachusetts from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
35,060
Total Paid
$438.5M
Avg Per Claim
$12.5K
Counties With Claims
14
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties in Massachusetts
14 counties with FEMA disaster data.
| # | County | Disasters | Major |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County | 40 | 25 |
| 2 | Norfolk County | 38 | 23 |
| 3 | Suffolk County | 38 | 23 |
| 4 | Middlesex County | 35 | 19 |
| 5 | Worcester County | 32 | 18 |
| 6 | Plymouth County | 32 | 21 |
| 7 | Bristol County | 30 | 17 |
| 8 | Barnstable County | 24 | 14 |
| 9 | Hampden County | 24 | 13 |
| 10 | Berkshire County | 23 | 11 |
| 11 | Hampshire County | 23 | 11 |
| 12 | Franklin County | 22 | 10 |
| 13 | Dukes County | 22 | 13 |
| 14 | Nantucket County | 20 | 11 |
Highest-risk counties by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in Massachusetts are Middlesex (96.9), Essex (95.6), Worcester (93.5), Suffolk (93.5), Hampden (92.8). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 14 counties in Massachusetts are listed above.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is affected by severe storm, hurricane, snowstorm, flood. Topping the list is Severe Storm, based on 59 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Massachusetts had?
Massachusetts has received 59 FEMA disaster declarations, including 36 major disaster declarations. These declarations span multiple disaster types including Severe Storm (12), Hurricane (12), Snowstorm (10).
What severe weather events are most common in Massachusetts?
The most common severe weather events in Massachusetts include thunderstorm wind (2,101 events), strong wind (1,019 events), high wind (722 events). Over that 2015-2025 NOAA record, these events resulted in 17 fatalities and $84.3M in property and crop damage.
How active is Massachusetts's federal disaster declaration record?
Massachusetts has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 59 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 17 fatalities and 59 injuries. NOAA property and crop damage records total $84.3M.
How many flood insurance claims has Massachusetts had?
Massachusetts has 35,060 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $438.5M total paid out. The average claim payment is $12.5K, with 14 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties in Massachusetts have the most disaster declarations?
Among 14 counties in Massachusetts, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Essex (40 declarations), Norfolk (38 declarations), Suffolk (38 declarations). County-by-county figures show where the state's federal declaration history concentrates.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Massachusetts
Essex alone accounts for 68% of Massachusetts's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 14 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Essex and Norfolk carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Massachusetts ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.