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Natural hazards · Hingham

Hingham, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hingham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 100 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 Hingham?

20
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Hingham to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding63%Hurricanes11%Coastal flooding9%Earthquakes6%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Hingham faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 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 5 years in the area

Coastal flooding

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Hingham flood?

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

100paid claims since 1978
$1.2Mpaid to owners
10homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 13 claims, $111K
  • Not a named storm: 9 claims, $20K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 6 claims, $46K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

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

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into HinghamDeclared for Plymouth County only
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$255K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$333K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$527K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$152K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$63K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$127K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

138 households applied for aid $228K aid approved $25K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$34K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $5K aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$152K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
2003

Snow

$196K to the Town of Hingham for repairs
Plymouth County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Hingham

Hingham and the towns around it

Hull: Very high, mostly coastal floodingWeymouth Town: Low, mostly inland floodingCohasset: Low, mostly inland floodingNorwell: Very low, mostly inland floodingScituate: Low, mostly inland floodingQuincy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBoston: Very low, mostly inland floodingBraintree Town: High, mostly inland floodingHanover: Very low, mostly inland floodingMarshfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPembroke: Very low, mostly inland floodingRockland: Very low, mostly inland floodingHingham: Low, mostly inland flooding HinghamHullWeymouth TownCohassetNorwellScituate
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Hullmostly coastal floodingVery high
Scituatemostly inland floodingLow
Cohassetmostly inland floodingLow
Weymouth Townmostly inland floodingLow
Hinghammostly inland floodingLow
Norwellmostly 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. Hingham covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Hingham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Hingham. 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 Hingham 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/15 · 2025-01-01
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