Natural hazards · Durham

Durham, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Durham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2008.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Durham?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Durham to be higher than in 48% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding75%Hurricanes16%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Durham faces

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

Inland flooding

75% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 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 Durham flood?

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

4paid claims since 2008

$24Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

20082026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: .

Around Durham

Durham and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Middletownmostly inland floodingHigh

Guilfordmostly inland floodingHigh

North Branfordmostly inland floodingHigh

Haddammostly inland floodingHigh

Middlefieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Madisonmostly inland floodingHigh

Wallingfordmostly inland floodingModerate

Durhammostly inland floodingModerate

Killingworthmostly inland floodingLow

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. Durham covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Durham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Durham. 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 Durham total about $2.5M 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.