Natural hazards · Meriden

Meriden, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Meriden comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 182 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Meriden?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Meriden to be higher than in 73% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding74%Hurricanes16%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Meriden faces

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

Inland flooding

74% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 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 Meriden flood?

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

182paid claims since 1978

$2.5Mpaid to owners

27homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 31 claims, $115K
Hurricane Elsa: 5 claims, $74K
Hurricane Irene: 4 claims, $12K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Meriden 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 Meriden

Meriden and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Middletownmostly inland floodingHigh

Meridenmostly inland floodingHigh

Berlinmostly inland floodingHigh

Middlefieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Cheshiremostly inland floodingModerate

Southingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Wallingfordmostly 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. Meriden covers 18 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Meriden’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Meriden. 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 Meriden total about $18.0M 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.