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SuffieldCT LibraryPhoto: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Suffield · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Suffield than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Suffield gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #109 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 2%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#109 of 155 in Connecticut
Hazard risk
C#109 of 155
in Connecticut · higher than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2011 · $49K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
By hazard

What Suffield faces

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

River and rain flooding

91%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Suffield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Suffield, and Suffield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Suffield sits
Suffield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #109 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Suffield’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Hurricanes4%Everything else5%

The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Suffield has more expected damage per building than 70% of Connecticut towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Suffield: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Suffield covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Suffield flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Suffield, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20112023
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $2K
4
paid claims since 2011
$49K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
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

Suffield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: the county.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Suffield

Disasters that paid out in Suffield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Suffield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$113K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$66K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storm$996K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$20K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  5. 2011Snowstorm$37K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  6. 2006Snow$31K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  2. 2005Record Snow$41K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$36K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$24K to the Town of Suffield for repairs
Were you here?

Old photos of Suffield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Suffield archive →
Next door

Suffield and its neighbors

Suffield is 8th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Southwick: hazard risk B−East Granby: hazard risk BEnfield: hazard risk CWindsor Locks: hazard risk B+Agawam Town: hazard risk C+Thompsonville: not gradedGranby: hazard risk C+Longmeadow: hazard risk B−SouthwickEast GranbyEnfieldWindsor LocksAgawam TownThompsonvilleGranbyLongmeadowSuffield
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Windsor LocksB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding7
East GranbyBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding1
LongmeadowB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
SouthwickB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding9
GranbyC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding13
Agawam TownC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding30
EnfieldCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding46
SuffieldCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding4
Thompsonville—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Suffield faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Suffield

Is Suffield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Suffield has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #109 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Suffield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Suffield since 2011, $49K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from December Nor'easter (1).

Is Suffield in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In the county, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Suffield?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Suffield’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Suffield?

By FEMA money that reached Suffield, Severe Storm (2011): $996K to the Town of Suffield for repairs. By flood claims, December Nor'easter: 1 paid, $2K.

Is Suffield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Suffield’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Suffield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Suffield’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.