TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
NahantGood morning
Natural hazards · Nahant

Nahant, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Nahant comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 341 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 Nahant?

20
Low
vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding43%Coastal flooding30%Hurricanes11%Tornadoes5%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Nahant faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 7% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

30% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Nahant flood?

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

341paid claims since 1978
$5.8Mpaid to owners
47homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 97 claims, $2.9M
  • Not a named storm: 37 claims, $120K
  • December Storm - Nor'easter: 37 claims, $384K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (15) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Nahant 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.
Disasters that hit Nahant

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into NahantDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$34K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$2.9M to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$52K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$108K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$12K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$20K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2010

Hurricane Earl

$3K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

21 households applied for aid $40K aid approved $92K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$109K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

26 households applied for aid $32K aid approved $24K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$21K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2004

Flooding

6 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2003

Snow

$15K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
2001

Snow

$8K to the Town of Nahant for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Nahant

Nahant and the towns around it

Lynn: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRevere: Low, mostly inland floodingWinthrop Town: Low, mostly inland floodingBoston: Very low, mostly inland floodingSaugus: High, mostly inland floodingLynnfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingSwampscott: Very low, mostly inland floodingPeabody: Low, mostly inland floodingChelsea: Low, mostly inland floodingEverett: Low, mostly inland floodingMalden: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMilton: Low, mostly inland floodingBrookline: Very low, mostly inland floodingCambridge: Low, mostly inland floodingDedham: Very low, mostly inland floodingQuincy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewton: Low, mostly inland floodingWatertown: Low, mostly inland floodingHull: Very high, mostly coastal floodingNahant: Low, mostly inland flooding NahantLynnRevereWinthrop TownBoston
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Lynnmostly inland floodingModerate
Reveremostly inland floodingLow
Winthrop Townmostly inland floodingLow
Nahantmostly inland floodingLow
Bostonmostly 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. Nahant covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Nahant’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Nahant. 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 Nahant total about $812K 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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Nahant, MAEssex CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Nahant is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map