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Natural hazards · Northfield

Northfield, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Northfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Northfield?

37
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Northfield to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding69%Hurricanes9%Cold waves7%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Northfield faces

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

Inland flooding

69% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Northfield flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Northfield.

of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Northfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.
Disasters that hit Northfield

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into NorthfieldDeclared for Franklin County only
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$17K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$60K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

6 households applied for aid $4K aid approved $6K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$31K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $4K aid approved $50K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$10K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2003

Snow

$20K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
2001

Snow

$6K to the Town of Northfield for repairs
Franklin County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Northfield

Northfield and the towns around it

Gill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingErving: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGreenfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMontague: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBernardston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWendell: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOrange: High, mostly inland floodingNorthfield: Low, mostly inland flooding NorthfieldGillErving
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Ervingmostly inland floodingModerate
Gillmostly inland floodingModerate
Northfieldmostly inland floodingLow
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. Northfield covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Northfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Northfield. 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 Northfield total about $957K 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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