Natural hazards · Lyme

Lyme, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lyme comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lyme?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lyme to be higher than in 67% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding80%Hurricanes12%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Lyme faces

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

Inland flooding

80% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Lyme flood?

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

21paid claims since 1978

$696Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 7 claims, $45K
March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $40K
Hurricane Irene: 3 claims, $255K

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. Lyme 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 Lyme

Lyme and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lymemostly inland floodingHigh

East Lymemostly inland floodingHigh

Chestermostly inland floodingHigh

Deep Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

Essexmostly inland floodingModerate

Old Lymemostly inland floodingModerate

East Haddammostly inland floodingLow

Salemmostly 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. Lyme covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lyme’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Lyme. 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 Lyme total about $1.1M 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.