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Natural hazards · Sudbury

Sudbury, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sudbury comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979. 13 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Sudbury?

10
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sudbury to be higher than in 10% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes12%Earthquakes6%Everything else17%
By hazard

What Sudbury faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 19% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Sudbury flood?

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

17paid claims since 1979
$109Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 6 claims, $27K
  • December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $42K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $1K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Sudbury 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 Sudbury

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SudburyDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$551K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$154K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$99K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$5K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$43K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$81K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

190 households applied for aid $228K aid approved $65K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$53K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $6K aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$77K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2004

Flooding

3 households applied for aid $5K aid approved
2003

Snow

$126K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
2001

Snow

$61K to the Town of Sudbury for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Sudbury

Sudbury and the towns around it

Wayland: Very low, mostly inland floodingMaynard: Low, mostly inland floodingFramingham: Very low, mostly inland floodingStow: Low, mostly inland floodingConcord: Very low, mostly inland floodingHudson: Very low, mostly inland floodingMarlborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingNatick: Very low, mostly inland floodingWeston: Very low, mostly inland floodingLincoln: Very low, mostly inland floodingAshland: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouthborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingSherborn: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingActon: Very low, mostly inland floodingBedford: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingBerlin: Low, mostly inland floodingBolton: Low, mostly inland floodingNorthborough: Low, mostly inland floodingSudbury: Very low, mostly inland flooding SudburyWaylandMaynardFraminghamStowConcordHudsonMarlborough
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Maynardmostly inland floodingLow
Stowmostly inland floodingLow
Hudsonmostly inland floodingVery low
Concordmostly inland floodingVery low
Sudburymostly inland floodingVery low
Framinghammostly inland floodingVery low
Waylandmostly 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. Sudbury covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sudbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Sudbury. 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 Sudbury total about $4.1M 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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