Natural hazards · West Springfield

West Springfield, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Springfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is West Springfield?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Springfield to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Hurricanes12%Earthquakes6%Everything else15%

By hazard

What West Springfield 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

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% 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 West Springfield flood?

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

15paid claims since 1978

$118Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Floyd: 3 claims, $89K
Not a named storm: 2 claims, $1K
Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $2K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. West Springfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Hampden County.

Disasters that hit West Springfield

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Hampden County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching West Springfield itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into West SpringfieldDeclared for Hampden County only

Hampden County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around West Springfield

West Springfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Westfieldmostly inland floodingVery high

Agawam Townmostly inland floodingModerate

Springfieldmostly inland floodingLow

West Springfield Townmostly inland floodingLow

Holyokemostly inland floodingLow

Chicopeemostly inland floodingLow

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. West Springfield covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to West Springfield’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of West Springfield. 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 West Springfield total about $6.8M 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.