States › Massachusetts › Hampden County

Hampden County, Massachusetts

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 25013 · 462,718 residents (2021) · 617 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 239Tornado · 19Flood · 117Wind · 496Winter · 0

Hampden County within Massachusetts. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 915 storm events in Hampden County, Massachusetts, led by damaging wind.

That is 148.3 events per 100 square miles, below the Massachusetts figure of 210.6, and 19.8 per 10,000 residents against 23.5 statewide.

11 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 3 deaths and 209 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $240M.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Lee (emergency, 15 Sep 2023).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 279 claims since 1978, of which 176 were paid, totalling $2.7M (about $15K per paid claim). FEMA counts 496 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($107M a year across 18 hazards).

51 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

11events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

915events since 19503 deaths, 209 injuries recorded

24disaster declarationslast 15 Sep 2023

279NFIP flood claims$2.7M paid

Compared with Massachusetts and the United States

Measure	Hampden County	Massachusetts	US
Recorded events since 1950	915	16,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	148.3	210.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	19.8	23.5	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	11	307	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	3	160	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$240M	$1.2B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.6	5.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$15K	$16K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	3.6	9.2	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1Tornado: 5Wind: 2

Hail: 1Tornado: 3Wind: 10

Hail: 5Tornado: 6Wind: 14

Hail: 11Wind: 22

Hail: 41Tornado: 1Flood: 7Wind: 45Lightning: 4Other: 8

Hail: 79Flood: 19Wind: 128Lightning: 11Other: 3

Hail: 89Tornado: 3Flood: 71Wind: 170Lightning: 14Other: 1

Hail: 12Tornado: 1Flood: 20Wind: 105Lightning: 3

81950s141960s251970s331980s1061990s2402000s3482010s1412020s

Recorded events in Hampden County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 645 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 200 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind496

Hail239

Flood117

Lightning32

Tornado19

Other12

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	496	—	6.0%	detail
■ Hail	239	—	15.4%	detail
■ Flood	117	—	6.2%	detail
■ Lightning	32	—	6.4%
■ Tornado	19	3	9.3%	detail
■ Other	12	—	4.0%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
1 Jun 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF3	$228M	—	3	200	County
27 Jul 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$10K	—	—	2	County
27 May 2008	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	2	County
26 Jul 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$100K	—	—	1	County
10 Aug 1979	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	1	County
23 Aug 1996	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
27 Jun 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
26 Jul 2011	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
4 Aug 2013	Hail	Hail	1.25 in	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
26 Jul 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	98 mph	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
28 Aug 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
6 Jul 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	70 mph	$400K	—	—	—	County
2 Aug 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	$275K	—	—	—	County
1 Jun 1956	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
11 Aug 1966	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	—	County
27 Aug 1996	Flood	Flood	—	$200K	—	—	—	County
28 Aug 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$200K	—	—	—	County
29 May 2012	Lightning	Lightning	—	$165K	—	—	—	County
15 May 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	$140K	—	—	—	County
27 Aug 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	60 mph	$100K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
15 Sep 2023	EM-3599	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Lee	Public assistance
27 Mar 2020	DR-4496	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3438	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
19 Apr 2013	DR-4110	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding	Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3350	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
6 Jan 2012	DR-4051	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
1 Nov 2011	EM-3343	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storm	Public assistance
3 Sep 2011	DR-4028	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Irene	Public assistance
26 Aug 2011	EM-3330	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
15 Jun 2011	DR-1994	Major disaster	Tornado	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
7 Mar 2011	DR-1959	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
5 Jan 2009	DR-1813	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Flooding	Public assistance
13 Dec 2008	EM-3296	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
16 May 2007	DR-1701	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding	Public assistance
10 Nov 2005	DR-1614	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Sep 2005	EM-3252	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
17 Feb 2005	EM-3201	Emergency	Snowstorm	Record And/Or Near Record Snow	Public assistance
15 Jan 2004	EM-3191	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
11 Mar 2003	EM-3175	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
24 Jan 1996	DR-1090	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96	Public assistance
16 Mar 1993	EM-3103	Emergency	Snowstorm	Blizzards, High Winds & Record Snowfall	Public assistance
26 Aug 1991	DR-914	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Bob	Public assistance
18 Apr 1987	DR-790	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Public assistance
28 Oct 1985	DR-751	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Gloria	Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Hampden County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978279

Paid claims176

Total paid$2.7M

Average paid claim$15K

Repetitive-loss properties90 severe

Residential policies in force4960.4% of 116,062 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	1	$1,272	$1,272
2024	1	0	$0	—
2023	5	4	$270,325	$67,581
2021	4	2	$28,237	$14,119
2020	3	1	$19,822	$19,822
2019	1	0	$0	—
2018	2	0	$0	—
2017	1	1	$13,274	$13,274
2016	1	1	$1,096	$1,096
2015	2	1	$18,408	$18,408
2014	3	1	$590	$590
2013	1	0	$0	—
2012	2	0	$0	—
2011	36	29	$1,015,498	$35,017
2009	2	1	$1,944	$1,944
2008	8	7	$98,280	$14,040
2007	6	2	$99,550	$49,775
2006	1	0	$0	—
2005	37	30	$788,696	$26,290
2004	1	1	$4,173	$4,173
2003	6	2	$10,574	$5,287
2002	1	0	$0	—
2001	1	1	$2,187	$2,187
2000	1	0	$0	—
1999	6	5	$94,949	$18,990

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 92.8 of 100

Expected annual loss$107MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$74,552,080
Hurricane	Relatively High	$11,795,781
Earthquake	Relatively Moderate	$4,812,215
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$4,219,347
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$3,801,025
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$2,487,394
Strong wind	Relatively High	$1,929,668
Ice storm	Relatively High	$1,301,979
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$890,184
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$443,132
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$220,196
Drought	Relatively Low	$218,498
Wildfire	Very Low	$20,795
Landslide	Relatively Low	$3,948
Avalanche	Very Low	$199

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles51

Tracks within 50 miles14

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	70 mi	58 mph
Henri	2021	55 mi	63 mph
Irene	2011	35 mi	58 mph
Hanna	2008	51 mi	52 mph
Barry	2007	96 mi	40 mph
Hermine	2004	100 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	28 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	38 mi	69 mph
Bob	1991	81 mi	104 mph
Gloria	1985	18 mi	86 mph
Henri	1985	93 mi	40 mph
David	1979	97 mi	46 mph
Belle	1976	34 mi	69 mph
Doria	1971	85 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1968	48 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	58 mi	63 mph
Brenda	1960	83 mi	46 mph
Donna	1960	59 mi	92 mph
Carol	1954	66 mi	115 mph
Able	1952	14 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	74 mi	104 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1938	59 mi	115 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	86 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	26 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1924	31 mi	63 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

01001 52
01085 51
01089 33
01040 21
01036 17
01011 13
01077 13
01095 9
01106 8
01056 7
01028 6
01013 5
01105 5
01057 5
01010 5
01521 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Hampden County, MA?

NCEI records 239 hail events in Hampden County since 1950, in 42 different years; that is about 3.1 recorded events a year. 25 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Hampden County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 19 tornadoes in Hampden County since 1950, 3 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 3.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Hampden County?

15 Sep 2023: Hurricane Lee, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Hampden County, and how much was paid?

279 NFIP claims since 1978, 176 of them paid, for $2.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Hampden County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Hampden County compare with the rest of Massachusetts?

148.3 recorded events per 100 square miles against 210.6 statewide, and 0.6 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 5.1. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 29 Sep 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.