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Natural hazards · Lowell

Lowell, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lowell comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 195 claims here since 1978. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Lowell?

52
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lowell to be higher than in 52% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding75%Hurricanes7%Earthquakes6%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Lowell faces

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

Inland flooding

75% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 64% 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 Lowell flood?

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

195paid claims since 1978
$4.9Mpaid to owners
26homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 15 claims, $264K
  • April 2007 Nor'easter: 15 claims, $364K
  • Not a named storm: 13 claims, $69K

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. Lowell 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1buildings floodproofed
Disasters that hit Lowell

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LowellDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$455K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$503K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$453K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$88K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$10K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$324K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

136 households applied for aid $237K aid approved $62K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$314K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

433 households applied for aid $989K aid approved $509K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$297K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2004

Flooding

7 households applied for aid $13K aid approved
2003

Snow

$385K to the City of Lowell for repairs
2001

Snow

$253K to the City of Lowell for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Lowell

Lowell and the towns around it

Chelmsford: Low, mostly inland floodingTewksbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingTyngsborough: Low, mostly inland floodingDracut: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWestford: Very low, mostly inland floodingBillerica: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingAndover: Low, mostly inland floodingWilmington: Low, mostly inland floodingDunstable: Very low, mostly inland floodingGroton: Very low, mostly inland floodingPelham: High, mostly inland floodingMethuen: Low, mostly inland floodingLowell: Moderate, mostly inland flooding LowellChelmsfordTewksburyTyngsboroughDracut
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Lowellmostly inland floodingModerate
Dracutmostly inland floodingModerate
Tyngsboroughmostly inland floodingLow
Chelmsfordmostly inland floodingLow
Tewksburymostly 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. Lowell covers 26 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lowell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lowell. 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 Lowell total about $22.1M 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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