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Natural hazards · Stow

Stow, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Stow comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Stow?

20
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Stow to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding67%Hurricanes11%Drought5%Everything else17%
By hazard

What Stow faces

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

Inland flooding

67% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Drought

5% of expected damage
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Stow flood?

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

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

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into StowDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$25K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$38K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$19K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$34K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$8K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$24K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

26 households applied for aid $49K aid approved $13K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$15K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$23K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2004

Flooding

1 household applied for aid $5K aid approved
2003

Snow

$26K to the Town of Stow for repairs
2001

Snow

$13K to the Town of Stow for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Stow

Stow and the towns around it

Hudson: Very low, mostly inland floodingMaynard: Low, mostly inland floodingBoxborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingActon: Very low, mostly inland floodingSudbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingBerlin: Low, mostly inland floodingBolton: Low, mostly inland floodingMarlborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingLittleton: Very low, mostly inland floodingHarvard: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingConcord: Very low, mostly inland floodingWestford: Very low, mostly inland floodingWayland: Very low, mostly inland floodingFramingham: Very low, mostly inland floodingStow: Low, mostly inland flooding StowHudsonMaynardBoxboroughActonSudbury
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Maynardmostly inland floodingLow
Stowmostly inland floodingLow
Hudsonmostly inland floodingVery low
Actonmostly inland floodingVery low
Boxboroughmostly inland floodingVery low
Sudburymostly 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. Stow covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Stow’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Stow. 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 Stow total about $2.0M 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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