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Natural hazards · Rowley

Rowley, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rowley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Rowley?

41
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Rowley to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding44%Coastal flooding22%Drought12%Hurricanes8%Earthquakes7%Everything else8%
By hazard

What Rowley faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

22% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Drought

12% of expected damage
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

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

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Rowley flood?

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

2paid claims since 2017
$4Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20172026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Rowley 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 Rowley

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into RowleyDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$43K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$23K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$46K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$35K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$9K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$26K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

45 households applied for aid $109K aid approved $10K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

86 households applied for aid $177K aid approved $1.8M to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$18K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2004

Flooding

6 households applied for aid $8K aid approved
2003

Snow

$35K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
2001

Snow

$17K to the Town of Rowley for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Rowley

Rowley and the towns around it

Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingIpswich: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGeorgetown: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingWest Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewburyport: Low, mostly inland floodingGroveland: Low, mostly inland floodingEssex: High, mostly coastal floodingHamilton: Very low, mostly inland floodingTopsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingGloucester: Low, mostly coastal floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRowley: Moderate, mostly inland flooding RowleyNewburyIpswichGeorgetownBoxford
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Ipswichmostly inland floodingModerate
Newburymostly inland floodingModerate
Rowleymostly inland floodingModerate
Boxfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Georgetownmostly 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. Rowley covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Rowley’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Rowley. 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 Rowley total about $2.3M 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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