Middleton is calmer than 75% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Middleton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1979. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Middleton’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Middleton?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 205 of the 351 Massachusetts towns we cover.
Middleton covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Middleton faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Drought
Does Middleton flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middleton, from FEMA’s records.
- The March 2010 nor’easter4 claims · $11K
- The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $39K
- The Not a named storm1 claim · $3K
Middleton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Essex County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Middleton
Disasters that paid out in Middleton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Middleton) and its biggest flood years.
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$41K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$99K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$63K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$3K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$42K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding111 households applied for aid$231K aid approved$61K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
Show all 11
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding89 households applied for aid$183K aid approved$110K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2005Record And/Or Near Record Snow$56K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2004Flooding23 households applied for aid$60K aid approved
- 2003Snow$81K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
- 2001Snow$34K to the Town of Middleton for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Middleton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middleton archive →Get ready for what Middleton actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Middleton and its neighbors
Middleton ranks 6th calmest of 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Reading | Low | inland flooding | 92 |
| North Andover | Low | inland flooding | 46 |
| Middleton | Low | inland flooding | 10 |
| Peabody | Low | inland flooding | 306 |
| Boxford | Very low | inland flooding | 9 |
| Topsfield | Very low | inland flooding | 23 |
| Danvers | Very low | inland flooding | 36 |
| Lynnfield | Very low | inland flooding | 28 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in January–March
The month each of Essex County’s 34 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Middleton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Middleton.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Middleton, expected losses total about $2.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middleton.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.