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Natural hazards · Wayland

Wayland, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wayland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1979. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Wayland?

7
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wayland to be higher than in 7% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes12%Earthquakes5%Everything else17%
By hazard

What Wayland 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 14% 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

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 49% 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 Wayland flood?

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

26paid claims since 1979
$108Kpaid to owners
5homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 8 claims, $27K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 7 claims, $52K

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. Wayland 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 Wayland

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WaylandDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$90K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$107K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$86K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$33K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$34K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$49K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

99 households applied for aid $137K aid approved $475K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$85K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2004

Flooding

1 household applied for aid $536 aid approved
2003

Snow

$84K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
2001

Snow

$45K to the Town of Wayland for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Wayland

Wayland and the towns around it

Sudbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingFramingham: Very low, mostly inland floodingNatick: Very low, mostly inland floodingWeston: Very low, mostly inland floodingLincoln: Very low, mostly inland floodingMaynard: Low, mostly inland floodingStow: Low, mostly inland floodingConcord: Very low, mostly inland floodingHudson: Very low, mostly inland floodingMarlborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingAshland: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouthborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingSherborn: Very low, mostly inland floodingDover: Very low, mostly inland floodingWellesley: Low, mostly inland floodingWaltham: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewton: Low, mostly inland floodingBedford: Very low, mostly inland floodingLexington: Very low, mostly inland floodingWayland: Very low, mostly inland flooding WaylandSudburyFraminghamNatickWestonLincoln
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Westonmostly inland floodingVery low
Natickmostly inland floodingVery low
Sudburymostly inland floodingVery low
Framinghammostly inland floodingVery low
Lincolnmostly inland floodingVery low
Waylandmostly 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. Wayland covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wayland’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Wayland. 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 Wayland total about $2.7M 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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