TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
ChelmsfordGood afternoon
Natural hazards · Chelmsford

Chelmsford, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chelmsford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 59 claims here since 1978. 13 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Chelmsford?

26
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chelmsford to be higher than in 26% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Hurricanes9%Earthquakes9%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Chelmsford faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Chelmsford flood?

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

59paid claims since 1978
$549Kpaid to owners
7homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 8 claims, $46K
  • Not a named storm: 7 claims, $26K
  • Hurricane Bob: 2 claims, $11K

Homes that flooded again and again

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChelmsfordDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$170K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$199K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$169K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$253K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$20K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$126K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

104 households applied for aid $172K aid approved $28K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$369K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

23 households applied for aid $33K aid approved $52K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$167K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2004

Flooding

8 households applied for aid $22K aid approved
2003

Snow

$257K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
2001

Snow

$112K to the Town of Chelmsford for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Chelmsford

Chelmsford and the towns around it

Tyngsborough: Low, mostly inland floodingLowell: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWestford: Very low, mostly inland floodingBillerica: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingDunstable: Very low, mostly inland floodingDracut: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGroton: Very low, mostly inland floodingTewksbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingLittleton: Very low, mostly inland floodingActon: Very low, mostly inland floodingWilmington: Low, mostly inland floodingBedford: Very low, mostly inland floodingBurlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingConcord: Very low, mostly inland floodingChelmsford: Low, mostly inland flooding ChelmsfordTyngsboroughLowellWestfordBillericaCarlisle
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Lowellmostly inland floodingModerate
Tyngsboroughmostly inland floodingLow
Chelmsfordmostly inland floodingLow
Westfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Billericamostly inland floodingVery low
Carlislemostly 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. Chelmsford covers 8 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chelmsford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Chelmsford. 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 Chelmsford total about $7.6M 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.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Chelmsford, MAMiddlesex CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Chelmsford is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map