Storms, floods and disasters in Somerville
Somerville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Somerville has 837 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1987.
What Somerville 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
Ice storms
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.
Does Somerville flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Somerville, from FEMA’s records.
Somerville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Somerville
Disasters that paid out in Somerville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Somerville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$91K to the Town of Somerville for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$13K to the Town of Somerville for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$2K to the Town of Somerville for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$35K to the Town of Somerville for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$73K to the Town of Somerville for repairs
- 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Somerville for repairs
Lincoln County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Somerville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Somerville archive →Somerville and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Washington | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Palermo | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Jefferson | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Somerville 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Somerville
Does Somerville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Somerville since 1987, $6K in all.
Is Somerville 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 Lincoln County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Somerville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Somerville’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 Somerville?
By FEMA money that reached Somerville, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $91K to the Town of Somerville for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Somerville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Somerville’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.