Natural hazards · Amherst

Amherst, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Amherst comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1991.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Amherst?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Amherst to be higher than in 22% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding59%Hurricanes13%Cold waves6%Everything else22%

By hazard

What Amherst faces

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

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Amherst flood?

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

1paid claims since 1991

$24Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19912026

Biggest named events

The “Halloween” storm: 1 claim, $24K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hampshire County.

Disasters that hit Amherst

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Hampshire County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Amherst itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into AmherstDeclared for Hampshire County only

Hampshire County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Amherst

Amherst and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hadleymostly inland floodingLow

Leverettmostly inland floodingLow

Shutesburymostly inland floodingLow

Pelhammostly inland floodingLow

South Hadleymostly inland floodingLow

Belchertownmostly inland floodingLow

Amherst Townmostly inland floodingLow

Granbymostly 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. Amherst covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Amherst’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Amherst. 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 Amherst total about $6.6M 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.