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Natural hazards · Ludlow

Ludlow, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ludlow comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1984. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Ludlow?

42
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ludlow to be higher than in 42% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Hurricanes13%Everything else19%
By hazard

What Ludlow 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
Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Ludlow flood?

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

4paid claims since 1984
$15Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19842026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Ludlow isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hampden County.
Disasters that hit Ludlow

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LudlowDeclared for Hampden County only
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$63K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$2.1M to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
2011

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

6 households applied for aid
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$71K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

16 households applied for aid $30K aid approved $23K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$37K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
2003

Snow

$67K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
Hampden County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Ludlow

Ludlow and the towns around it

Wilbraham: Low, mostly inland floodingSpringfield: Low, mostly inland floodingChicopee: Low, mostly inland floodingGranby: Low, mostly inland floodingBelchertown: Low, mostly inland floodingHampden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Springfield Town: Low, mostly inland floodingAgawam Town: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Longmeadow: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLongmeadow: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHolyoke: Low, mostly inland floodingSouth Hadley: Low, mostly inland floodingAmherst Town: Low, mostly inland floodingNew Salem: Low, mostly inland floodingWare: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPalmer Town: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPelham: Low, mostly inland floodingLudlow: Moderate, mostly inland flooding LudlowWilbrahamSpringfieldChicopeeGranbyBelchertown
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Ludlowmostly inland floodingModerate
Springfieldmostly inland floodingLow
Wilbrahammostly inland floodingLow
Chicopeemostly inland floodingLow
Belchertownmostly inland floodingLow
Granbymostly inland floodingLow
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. Ludlow covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ludlow’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ludlow. 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 Ludlow total about $4.2M 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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