Calvin Coolidge Homestead District · Photo: Shannon McGee from Huntsville, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Plymouth
Plymouth isn’t graded for hazard risk: Plymouth has 533 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1981.
What Plymouth 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 Plymouth flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Plymouth, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene7 claims · $567K
- The Vermont/New York Flooding5 claims · $190K
Plymouth isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windsor County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Plymouth
Disasters that paid out in Plymouth itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Plymouth), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$215K to the Town of Plymouth for repairs
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides59 households applied for aid$252K aid approved$3.2M to the Town of Plymouth for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm$18K to the Town of Plymouth for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene87 households applied for aid$258K aid approved$1.4M to the Town of Plymouth for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $567K
- 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Plymouth for repairs
Windsor County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Plymouth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Plymouth archive →Plymouth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Mendon | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Mount Holly | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ludlow | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Bridgewater | — | 980 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Reading | — | 699 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth
Does Plymouth flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Plymouth since 1981, $772K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (7).
Is Plymouth 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 Windsor County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Plymouth?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Plymouth’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 Plymouth?
By FEMA money that reached Plymouth, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 59 households applied for aid, $252K approved, and $3.2M to the Town of Plymouth for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 7 paid, $567K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Plymouth.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Plymouth’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.