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Natural hazards · Wilmington

Wilmington, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wilmington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 26 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 Wilmington?

21
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wilmington to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding64%Earthquakes13%Hurricanes10%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Wilmington faces

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

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

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 Wilmington flood?

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

26paid claims since 1978
$172Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 5 claims, $35K
  • Not a named storm: 1 claim, $2K
  • December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $2K

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. Wilmington 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 Wilmington

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WilmingtonDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$125K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$110K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$131K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$16K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$19K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$96K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

432 households applied for aid $934K aid approved $65K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$25K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

165 households applied for aid $285K aid approved $39K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$111K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2004

Flooding

21 households applied for aid $24K aid approved
2003

Snow

$171K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
2001

Snow

$60K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Wilmington

Wilmington and the towns around it

Billerica: Very low, mostly inland floodingAndover: Low, mostly inland floodingBurlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Reading: Low, mostly inland floodingTewksbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingReading: Very low, mostly inland floodingWoburn: Very low, mostly inland floodingBedford: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingChelmsford: Low, mostly inland floodingMethuen: Low, mostly inland floodingDracut: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLawrence: Very high, mostly inland floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingLexington: Very low, mostly inland floodingLynnfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingLowell: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWakefield: Very low, mostly inland floodingStoneham: Very low, mostly inland floodingWinchester: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWilmington: Low, mostly inland flooding WilmingtonBillericaAndoverBurlingtonNorth ReadingTewksburyReadingWoburn
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Andovermostly inland floodingLow
North Readingmostly inland floodingLow
Wilmingtonmostly inland floodingLow
Billericamostly inland floodingVery low
Tewksburymostly inland floodingVery low
Burlingtonmostly inland floodingVery low
Woburnmostly 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. Wilmington covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wilmington’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Wilmington. 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 Wilmington total about $5.4M 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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