Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lowell
Lowell isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Lowell yet. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997.
What Lowell 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
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 Lowell flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lowell, from FEMA’s records.
Lowell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orleans County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lowell
Disasters that paid out in Lowell itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lowell), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides11 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$88K to the Town of Lowell for repairs
- 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$32K to the Town of Lowell for repairs
- 2012Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding$269K to the Town of Lowell for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$28K to the Town of Lowell for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$21K to the Town of Lowell for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Town of Lowell for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 8
- 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Lowell for repairs
- 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$2K to the Town of Lowell for repairs
Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Lowell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lowell archive →Lowell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Irasburg | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Montgomery | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Albany | — | 934 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Westfield | — | 536 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.
Get ready for what Lowell 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.
- 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 Lowell
Does Lowell flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Lowell since 1997, $42K in all.
Is Lowell 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Lowell?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lowell’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 Lowell?
By FEMA money that reached Lowell, Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding (2012): $269K to the Town of Lowell for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lowell.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lowell’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.