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Natural hazards in North Scituate · FEMA

North Scituate is calmer than 87% of U.S. communities

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in North Scituate comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

13Very low riskLowerHigherExpected storm and flood damage, vs. U.S. communities
Overall risk
Very low
higher than 13% of U.S. places
Main hazard
Inland flooding
69% of expected damage
Flood claims
0
none on record
Disasters paid out here
0
of 26 declared for Plymouth County

What stands out about North Scituate’s weather risks

Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Expected damage

How exposed is North Scituate?

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 13% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Where North Scituate sits
North Scituate
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Calmer than 304 of the 351 Massachusetts towns we cover.

North Scituate is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

What drives the damage
Inland flooding69%Hurricanes13%Earthquakes5%Everything else14%
Flood insurance claims

Does North Scituate flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in North Scituate. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

North Scituate isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Plymouth County.
By hazard

What North Scituate faces

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

Inland flooding

69%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places
Lower here
🌊 Coastal flooding🌪️ Tornadoes🧊 Hail🧊 Ice storms❄️ Winter weather🥶 Cold waves🌡️ Heat waves🔥 Wildfire⛰️ Landslides💨 Strong wind⚡ Lightning🌵 Drought
Not a risk here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Storms remembered

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Plymouth County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching North Scituate itself in FEMA’s records.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in North ScituatePlymouth County only

Plymouth County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Be ready

Get ready for what North Scituate actually faces

A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Coastal Flood WarningCoastal Flood Warning issued September 25 at 12:35PM EDT until September 27 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Boston/Norton MA
High Wind WarningHigh Wind Warning issued September 25 at 12:30PM EDT until September 27 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Boston/Norton MA
High Surf AdvisoryHigh Surf Advisory issued September 25 at 12:35PM EDT until September 27 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Boston/Norton MA
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Next door

North Scituate and its neighbors

North Scituate has the lowest rating of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
TownRatingMostlyFlood claims
ScituateLowinland flooding3,519
CohassetLowinland flooding107
North ScituateVery lowinland flooding0

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.

Storm season

Most disasters here begin in January–March

The month each of Plymouth County’s 26 declared disasters began, since 1953.

4J
2F
5M
1A
M
1J
J
4A
3S
4O
N
2D
HurricanesSevere stormsFloodsWinter storms
How to read this page

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 North Scituate’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to North Scituate.
  • 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.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in North Scituate.

Town Square →
Weigh in
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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.

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