Natural hazards · Wakefield

Wakefield, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wakefield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 67 claims here since 1978. 13 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wakefield?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wakefield to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Hurricanes11%Earthquakes10%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Wakefield faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Wakefield flood?

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

67paid claims since 1978

$490Kpaid to owners

13homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

March 2010 Nor'easter: 14 claims, $85K
Not a named storm: 5 claims, $11K
April 2007 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $2K

Homes that flooded again and again

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Wakefield 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 Wakefield

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WakefieldDeclared for Middlesex County only

2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$162K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$307K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$153K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$20K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

$41K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$130K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

385 households applied for aid $492K aid approved $760K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

367 households applied for aid $668K aid approved $171K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid

2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$141K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2004

Flooding

69 households applied for aid $86K aid approved

2003

Snow

$219K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

2001

Snow

$106K to the Town of Wakefield for repairs

Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Wakefield

Wakefield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Saugusmostly inland floodingHigh

Melrosemostly inland floodingHigh

Wakefieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Stonehammostly inland floodingVery low

Lynnfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Readingmostly 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. Wakefield covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wakefield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Wakefield. 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 Wakefield total about $4.9M 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.