Natural hazards · Melrose

Melrose, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Melrose comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1979. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Melrose?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Melrose to be higher than in 62% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding82%Hurricanes6%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Melrose faces

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

Inland flooding

82% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Melrose flood?

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

57paid claims since 1979

$789Kpaid to owners

11homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

March 2010 Nor'easter: 7 claims, $95K
Not a named storm: 2 claims, $8K

Homes that flooded again and again

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Melrose 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.

Disasters that hit Melrose

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into MelroseDeclared for Middlesex County only

2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$264K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$207K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$173K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$22K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$170K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

194 households applied for aid $162K aid approved $81K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

622 households applied for aid $1.0M aid approved $815K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$152K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2004

Flooding

81 households applied for aid $123K aid approved

2003

Snow

$159K to the City of Melrose for repairs

2001

Snow

$58K to the City of Melrose for repairs

Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Melrose

Melrose and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Melrosemostly inland floodingHigh

Maldenmostly inland floodingModerate

Wakefieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Stonehammostly 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. Melrose covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Melrose’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Melrose. 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 Melrose total about $7.7M 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.