Natural hazards · Madison

Madison, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Madison comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 448 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Madison?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Madison to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding58%Hurricanes27%Coastal flooding8%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Madison faces

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

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

27% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Coastal flooding

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce 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 Madison flood?

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

448paid claims since 1978

$11.3Mpaid to owners

92homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 140 claims, $6.5M
Hurricane Sandy: 91 claims, $2.5M
Hurricane Gloria: 62 claims, $756K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 2 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (6) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Madison 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 Madison

Madison and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Clintonmostly inland floodingHigh

Guilfordmostly inland floodingHigh

Madisonmostly inland floodingHigh

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. Madison covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Madison’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Madison. 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 Madison total about $7.3M 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.