Natural hazards · Watertown

Watertown, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Watertown comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 65 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Watertown?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Watertown to be higher than in 51% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes21%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Watertown faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% 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 Watertown flood?

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

65paid claims since 1978

$1.5Mpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 14 claims, $9K
Hurricane Irene: 6 claims, $189K
Hurricane Ida: 4 claims, $574K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Watertown 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

1flood-prone homes bought out and moved

Around Watertown

Watertown and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Thomastonmostly inland floodingVery high

Woodburymostly inland floodingHigh

Waterburymostly inland floodingHigh

Watertownmostly inland floodingModerate

Morrismostly inland floodingModerate

Middleburymostly inland floodingModerate

Bethlehemmostly 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. Watertown covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Watertown’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Watertown. 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 Watertown total about $6.0M 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.