Natural hazards · Bristol

Bristol, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bristol comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 190 claims here since 1979.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Bristol?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bristol to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding76%Hurricanes13%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Bristol faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

76% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Bristol flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bristol, from FEMA’s records.

190paid claims since 1979

$3.9Mpaid to owners

32homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 46 claims, $2.1M
Not a named storm: 24 claims, $101K
Hurricane Floyd: 21 claims, $506K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (7) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Bristol isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: .

What’s been done with FEMA grants

4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Around Bristol

Bristol and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bristolmostly inland floodingHigh

Plainvillemostly inland floodingHigh

Plymouthmostly inland floodingHigh

Farmingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Southingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Burlingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Wolcottmostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Bristol covers 14 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bristol’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Bristol. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Bristol total about $18.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.