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Winthrop maPhoto: Sean 2015 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Winthrop Town · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Winthrop Town faces less hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winthrop Town gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #135 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then coastal flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 1,045 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 57%Coastal flooding 22%Hurricanes 11%

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

less than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#135 of 283 in Massachusetts
Hazard risk
A−#135 of 283
in Massachusetts · lower than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1,045
paid since 1978 · $7.3M
Flood claims per home
125 per 1,000
more than 97% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Winthrop Town’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 78% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.1,045 paid flood claims since 1978$7.3M in all. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 22.4% of the damage it expects.Remembers 1991269 flood claims were paid for 1991 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Winthrop Town 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

57%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Lightning Strong wind Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Winthrop Town’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winthrop Town, and Winthrop Town’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 22%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Winthrop Town sits
Winthrop Town
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #135 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Winthrop Town’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Coastal flooding22%Hurricanes11%Everything else10%

The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Winthrop Town has less expected damage per building than 52% of Massachusetts towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Winthrop Town: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Winthrop Town covers 5 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 Winthrop Town flood? Yes: 1,045 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winthrop Town, from FEMA’s records: 125.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 141 claims1979: 123 claims1980: 2 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 22 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 3 claims1985: 2 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 41 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 6 claims1991: 269 claims1992: 131 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 32 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 5 claims1999: 3 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 15 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 47 claims2004: 8 claims2005: 3 claims2006: 37 claims2007: 26 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 19 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 3 claims2013: 15 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 9 claims2018: 63 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 2 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 5 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819911992
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The “Halloween” storm267 claims · $2.3M
  • The December Storm - nor’easter131 claims · $733K
1,045
paid claims since 1978
$7.3M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Suffolk County.
Disasters

The storms Winthrop Town remembers

None of the 30 disasters declared for Suffolk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Winthrop Town itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 1991269 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, declared for Suffolk County
  2. 1978141 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzard and Snowstorms, declared for Suffolk County
  3. 1992131 flood claims paidThe year of Winter Coastal Storm, declared for Suffolk County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Winthrop TownSuffolk County only

Suffolk County has had 30 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Winthrop Town archive →
Next door

Winthrop Town and its neighbors

Winthrop Town is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Boston: hazard risk ARevere: hazard risk BNahant: hazard risk A−BostonRevereNahantWinthrop Town
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BostonAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding209
NahantA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding341
Winthrop TownA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding1,045
RevereBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding2,147

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 Winthrop Town 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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Winthrop Town

Is Winthrop Town at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winthrop Town has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #135 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and coastal flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Winthrop Town flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1,045 claims in Winthrop Town since 1978, $7.3M in all, or 125.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from The "Halloween" Storm (267).

Is Winthrop Town 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 Suffolk County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Winthrop Town?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winthrop Town’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 Winthrop Town?

By flood claims, The "Halloween" Storm: 267 paid, $2.3M.

Is Winthrop Town at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Winthrop Town’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winthrop Town.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winthrop Town’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.