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Natural hazards · Scituate

Scituate, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Scituate comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3,519 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Scituate?

32
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Scituate to be higher than in 32% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding46%Coastal flooding31%Hurricanes9%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Scituate faces

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

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

31% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Scituate flood?

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

3,519paid claims since 1978
$72.9Mpaid to owners
537homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 846 claims, $28.8M
  • December Storm - Nor'easter: 468 claims, $6.0M
  • Not a named storm: 133 claims, $337K

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 9 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (171) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 15% off flood insurance. Scituate is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Plymouth County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

134homes raised above flood level
4buildings floodproofed
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Scituate

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ScituateDeclared for Plymouth County only
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$101K to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$3.2M to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$1.5M to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$2.2M to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$170K to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$42K to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

75 households applied for aid $111K aid approved
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$789K to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $521 aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$142K to the Town of Scituate for repairs
2003

Snow

$146K to the Town of Scituate for repairs
Plymouth County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Scituate

Scituate and the towns around it

Marshfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingCohasset: Low, mostly inland floodingNorwell: Very low, mostly inland floodingHingham: Low, mostly inland floodingDuxbury: Low, mostly inland floodingPembroke: Very low, mostly inland floodingHull: Very high, mostly coastal floodingHanover: Very low, mostly inland floodingRockland: Very low, mostly inland floodingWeymouth Town: Low, mostly inland floodingScituate: Low, mostly inland flooding ScituateMarshfieldCohassetNorwellHingham
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Marshfieldmostly inland floodingModerate
Scituatemostly inland floodingLow
Cohassetmostly inland floodingLow
Hinghammostly inland floodingLow
Norwellmostly 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. Scituate covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Scituate’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Scituate. 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 Scituate total about $4.6M 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

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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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