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Natural hazards · Southborough

Southborough, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Southborough comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Southborough?

16
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Southborough to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding48%Hurricanes32%Everything else21%
By hazard

What Southborough faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 10% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

32% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Southborough flood?

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

1paid claims since 2023
$11Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20232026

Biggest named events

  • December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $11K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Southborough isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Worcester County.
Disasters that hit Southborough

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SouthboroughDeclared for Worcester County only
2011

Hurricane Irene

$47K to the Town of Southborough for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

35 households applied for aid $46K aid approved
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$2K to the Town of Southborough for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $1K aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$51K to the Town of Southborough for repairs
2003

Snow

$73K to the Town of Southborough for repairs
2001

Snow

$27K to the Town of Southborough for repairs
Worcester County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Southborough

Southborough and the towns around it

Hopkinton: Very low, mostly inland floodingAshland: Very low, mostly inland floodingMarlborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingWestborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingFramingham: Very low, mostly inland floodingUpton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHolliston: Low, mostly inland floodingMilford: Low, mostly inland floodingSherborn: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorthborough: Low, mostly inland floodingBerlin: Low, mostly inland floodingHudson: Very low, mostly inland floodingSudbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingGrafton: Low, mostly inland floodingShrewsbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingWayland: Very low, mostly inland floodingNatick: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouthborough: Very low, mostly inland flooding SouthboroughHopkintonAshlandMarlboroughWestboroughFramingham
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Southboroughmostly inland floodingVery low
Ashlandmostly inland floodingVery low
Westboroughmostly inland floodingVery low
Framinghammostly inland floodingVery low
Hopkintonmostly inland floodingVery low
Marlboroughmostly 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. Southborough covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Southborough’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Southborough. 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 Southborough total about $2.5M 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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