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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Winchester · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Winchester than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winchester gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #122 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1981.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 3%Tornadoes 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 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#122 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
D#122 of 126
in New Hampshire · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
13
paid since 1981 · $121K
Flood insurance
05% off
Community discount (class 9)
By hazard

What Winchester 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Winchester’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winchester, and Winchester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Winchester sits
Winchester
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #122 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hurricanes3%Everything else4%

The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Winchester has more expected damage per building than 97% of New Hampshire towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Winchester: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Winchester’s 4,150 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Winchester CDP (1,606 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 Winchester flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winchester, from FEMA’s records: 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 4 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 3 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198420052021
19812026
13
paid claims since 1981
$121K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount05% off flood insurance

Winchester is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Cheshire County.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Winchester

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$261K to the Town of Winchester for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$89K to the Town of Winchester for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$44K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$378K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  6. 2005Record Snow$11K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2005Record Snow$6K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$11K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$11K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$10K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$12K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
  7. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$16K to the Town of Winchester for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WinchesterCheshire 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 Winchester after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Winchester archive →
Next door

Winchester and its neighbors

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

Richmond: hazard risk BSwanzey: hazard risk C−Hinsdale: hazard risk CWarwick: not gradedRichmondSwanzeyHinsdaleWarwickWinchester
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RichmondBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding—
HinsdaleCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding1
SwanzeyC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding—
WinchesterDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding13
Warwick—776 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Winchester 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.
  • Winchester residents get 05% off flood insurance.
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 Winchester

Is Winchester at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winchester has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #122 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Winchester flood?

Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Winchester since 1981, $121K in all, or 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Winchester 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 Winchester?

Winchester is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Winchester?

By FEMA money that reached Winchester, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 6 households applied for aid, $3K approved, and $378K to the Town of Winchester for repairs.

Is Winchester at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Winchester’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winchester.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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