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Natural hazards · North Reading

North Reading, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in North Reading comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 92 claims here since 1979. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is North Reading?

33
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in North Reading to be higher than in 33% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding73%Earthquakes9%Hurricanes8%Everything else10%
By hazard

What North Reading faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

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 North Reading flood?

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

92paid claims since 1979
$791Kpaid to owners
24homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 18 claims, $154K
  • Not a named storm: 10 claims, $22K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. North Reading 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 North Reading

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into North ReadingDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$134K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$189K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$139K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$81K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$28K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$117K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

275 households applied for aid $566K aid approved $184K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

173 households applied for aid $323K aid approved $57K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$113K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2004

Flooding

21 households applied for aid $24K aid approved
2003

Snow

$171K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
2001

Snow

$83K to the Town of North Reading for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around North Reading

North Reading and the towns around it

Reading: Very low, mostly inland floodingLynnfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingWilmington: Low, mostly inland floodingAndover: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingWakefield: Very low, mostly inland floodingWoburn: Very low, mostly inland floodingStoneham: Very low, mostly inland floodingLynn: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPeabody: Low, mostly inland floodingSaugus: High, mostly inland floodingDanvers: Very low, mostly inland floodingTopsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingBillerica: Very low, mostly inland floodingBurlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingTewksbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingMethuen: Low, mostly inland floodingDracut: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLawrence: Very high, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Reading: Low, mostly inland flooding North ReadingReadingLynnfieldMiddletonWilmingtonAndoverNorth Andover
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Andovermostly inland floodingLow
North Readingmostly inland floodingLow
North Andovermostly inland floodingLow
Middletonmostly inland floodingLow
Wilmingtonmostly inland floodingLow
Lynnfieldmostly inland floodingVery low
Readingmostly 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. North Reading covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to North Reading’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of North Reading. 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 North Reading total about $4.1M 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/15 · 2025-01-01
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