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Natural hazards · Chelsea

Chelsea, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chelsea comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Chelsea?

33
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chelsea to be higher than in 33% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding54%Coastal flooding10%Heat waves8%Hurricanes8%Earthquakes8%Cold waves8%Everything else5%
By hazard

What Chelsea faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Heat waves

8% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

8% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Cold waves

8% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

WildfireDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Chelsea flood?

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

26paid claims since 1978
$160Kpaid to owners
2homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 4 claims, $17K

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. Chelsea isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Suffolk County.
Disasters that hit Chelsea

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChelseaDeclared for Suffolk County only
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$150K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$62K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$207K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$51K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$9K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$38K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

16 households applied for aid $7K aid approved
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

10 households applied for aid $23K aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$49K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
2004

Flooding

2 households applied for aid $326 aid approved
2003

Snow

$74K to the City of Chelsea for repairs
Suffolk County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.
Around Chelsea

Chelsea and the towns around it

Revere: Low, mostly inland floodingEverett: Low, mostly inland floodingBoston: Very low, mostly inland floodingSaugus: High, mostly inland floodingWinthrop Town: Low, mostly inland floodingNahant: Low, mostly inland floodingLynn: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMalden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMedford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSomerville: Low, mostly inland floodingMilton: Low, mostly inland floodingBrookline: Very low, mostly inland floodingCambridge: Low, mostly inland floodingDedham: Very low, mostly inland floodingQuincy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewton: Low, mostly inland floodingWatertown: Low, mostly inland floodingHull: Very high, mostly coastal floodingChelsea: Low, mostly inland flooding ChelseaRevereEverettBoston
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Reveremostly inland floodingLow
Everettmostly inland floodingLow
Chelseamostly inland floodingLow
Bostonmostly 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. Chelsea covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chelsea’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Chelsea. 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 Chelsea total about $5.8M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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