Natural hazards · Burlington

Burlington, ME natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Burlington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Burlington?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Burlington to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Hurricanes13%Winter weather7%Everything else19%

By hazard

What Burlington faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Winter weather

7% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 25 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Burlington flood?

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

1paid claims since 2011

$4Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20112026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Penobscot County.

Disasters that hit Burlington

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BurlingtonDeclared for Penobscot County only

Penobscot County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Burlington

Burlington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Burlingtonmostly inland floodingLow

Lowellmostly inland floodingLow

Lincolnmostly 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. Burlington covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Burlington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Burlington. 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 Burlington total about $660K 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.