Assington · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Sherborn’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sherborn gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #49 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1982.
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
What Sherborn 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
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Sherborn’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sherborn, and Sherborn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
A #49 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sherborn’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sherborn has less expected damage per building than 83% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Sherborn: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sherborn flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sherborn, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $10K
Sherborn 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.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sherborn
Disasters that paid out in Sherborn itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sherborn), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$94K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$59K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$42K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$19K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$26K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
Show all 11
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding25 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$42K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$44K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2003Snow$34K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2003Snow$29K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
- 2001Snow$40K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs
Middlesex County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sherborn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sherborn archive →Sherborn and its neighbors
Sherborn is 3rd of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framingham | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 165 |
| Natick | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Sherborn | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Ashland | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Dover | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Medfield | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Holliston | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Millis | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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.
Get ready for what Sherborn faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Sherborn
Is Sherborn at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sherborn has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #49 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (12%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sherborn flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Sherborn since 1982, $35K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (1).
Is Sherborn 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 Middlesex County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sherborn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sherborn’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 Sherborn?
By FEMA money that reached Sherborn, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2018): $94K to the Town of Sherborn for repairs. By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 paid, $10K.
Is Sherborn at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Sherborn’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sherborn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sherborn’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.