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Natural hazards · Great Barrington

Great Barrington, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Great Barrington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 34 claims here since 1979. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Great Barrington?

67
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Great Barrington to be higher than in 67% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding80%Hurricanes7%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Great Barrington faces

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

Inland flooding

80% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Great Barrington flood?

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

34paid claims since 1979
$217Kpaid to owners
2homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 1 claim, $142
  • Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $53K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Great Barrington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Berkshire County.
Disasters that hit Great Barrington

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Great BarringtonDeclared for Berkshire County only
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$27K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

35 households applied for aid $45K aid approved $297K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$32K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$8K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $5K aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$21K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
2003

Snow

$25K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
2001

Snow

$13K to the Town of Great Barrington for repairs
Berkshire County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around Great Barrington

Great Barrington and the towns around it

Egremont: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAlford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingStockbridge: High, mostly inland floodingWest Stockbridge: High, mostly inland floodingMonterey: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSheffield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMount Washington: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLenox: Very low, mostly inland floodingLee: High, mostly inland floodingNew Marlborough: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSandisfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingTyringham: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOtis: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGreat Barrington: High, mostly inland flooding Great BarringtonEgremontAlfordStockbridgeWest StockbridgeMonterey
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Great Barringtonmostly inland floodingHigh
West Stockbridgemostly inland floodingHigh
Stockbridgemostly inland floodingHigh
Montereymostly inland floodingModerate
Egremontmostly inland floodingModerate
Alfordmostly inland floodingModerate
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. Great Barrington covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Great Barrington’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Great Barrington. 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 Great Barrington total about $3.2M 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/15 · 2025-01-01
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