Natural hazards · Ashland

Ashland, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ashland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1979. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ashland?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ashland to be higher than in 14% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes11%Earthquakes5%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Ashland faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ashland flood?

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

15paid claims since 1979

$223Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 3 claims, $3K
December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $171K
March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $5K

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. Ashland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Middlesex County.

Disasters that hit Ashland

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Ashland itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Ashland.

Brought FEMA money into AshlandDeclared for Middlesex County only

2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$89K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$265K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$88K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$84K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

56 households applied for aid $38K aid approved

2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$12K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

$6K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $10K aid approved

2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$71K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2004

Flooding

8 households applied for aid $8K aid approved

2003

Snow

$89K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

2001

Snow

$45K to the Town of Ashland for repairs

Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Ashland

Ashland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Southboroughmostly inland floodingVery low

Ashlandmostly inland floodingVery low

Sherbornmostly inland floodingVery low

Framinghammostly inland floodingVery low

Hopkintonmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Ashland covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ashland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ashland. 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 Ashland total about $2.9M 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.