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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hinsdale · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Hinsdale than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hinsdale gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #84 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 88%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 3%

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 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#84 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
C#84 of 126
in New Hampshire · higher than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $200K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 27 declared for Cheshire County
By hazard

What Hinsdale 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

88%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Hinsdale’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hinsdale, and Hinsdale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hinsdale sits
Hinsdale
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #84 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Hinsdale’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Hurricanes6%Everything else7%

The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hinsdale has more expected damage per building than 66% of New Hampshire towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Hinsdale: $996K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hinsdale’s 3,948 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hinsdale CDP (1,485 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hinsdale flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hinsdale, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2005
20052026
1
paid claims since 2005
$200K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$200K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cheshire County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hinsdale

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

  1. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$58K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding18 households applied for aid$49K aid approved$123K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  4. 2005Record Snow$4K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  5. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$9K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$825 to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  3. 2001Snow$8K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
  4. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$18K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HinsdaleCheshire County only

Cheshire County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Cheshire County, 2016–2016.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hinsdale archive →
Next door

Hinsdale and its neighbors

Hinsdale is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Vernon: hazard risk B−Brattleboro: hazard risk B−Winchester: hazard risk DChesterfield: hazard risk B−VernonBrattleboroWinchesterChesterfieldHinsdale
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
VernonB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding2
BrattleboroB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding50
ChesterfieldB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding6
HinsdaleCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding1
WinchesterDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding13

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 Hinsdale 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Hinsdale

Is Hinsdale at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hinsdale has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #84 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Hinsdale flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Hinsdale since 2005, $200K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Hinsdale 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 Cheshire County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hinsdale?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hinsdale, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 18 households applied for aid, $49K approved, and $123K to the Town of Hinsdale for repairs.

Is Hinsdale at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Hinsdale’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hinsdale.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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