States › Massachusetts › Norfolk County

Norfolk 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 25021 · 724,505 residents (2021) · 396 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 82Tornado · 15Flood · 137Wind · 254Winter · 0

Norfolk 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 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Norfolk County, Massachusetts, has 566 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 142.9 events per 100 square miles, below the Massachusetts figure of 210.6, and 7.8 per 10,000 residents against 23.5 statewide.

19 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 1 death and 38 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $68M and crop damage at $1K.

FEMA has designated the county in 38 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Lee (emergency, 15 Sep 2023).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 3,262 claims since 1978, of which 2,481 were paid, totalling $26M (about $10K per paid claim). FEMA counts 3,015 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" ($147M a year across 18 hazards).

58 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 3 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

19events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

566events since 19501 death, 38 injuries recorded

38disaster declarationslast 15 Sep 2023

3,262NFIP flood claims$26M paid

Compared with Massachusetts and the United States

Measure	Norfolk County	Massachusetts	US
Recorded events since 1950	566	16,427	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	142.9	210.6	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	7.8	23.5	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	19	307	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	1	160	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$68M	$1.2B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	4.5	5.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$10K	$16K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	15.0	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

Tornado: 2Wind: 2

Hail: 2Wind: 4

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 6

Hail: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 7

Hail: 15Tornado: 2Flood: 12Wind: 21Lightning: 8Other: 13

Hail: 34Tornado: 2Flood: 18Wind: 53Tropical: 1Lightning: 26Other: 8

Hail: 21Tornado: 2Flood: 60Wind: 80Lightning: 17

Hail: 8Tornado: 4Flood: 47Wind: 81Lightning: 5

41950s61960s91970s91980s711990s1422000s1802010s1452020s

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

Trend: 400 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 143 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

Wind254

Flood137

Hail82

Lightning56

Other21

Tornado15

Tropical1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	254	—	3.1%	detail
■ Flood	137	—	7.2%	detail
■ Hail	82	—	5.3%	detail
■ Lightning	56	—	11.2%
■ Other	21	—	7.0%
■ Tornado	15	1	7.3%	detail
■ Tropical	1	—	0.7%

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
9 Aug 1972	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	1	6	County
9 Jun 1953	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	—	15	County
8 Jun 1996	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	7	County
27 Jun 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	$500K	—	—	3	County
5 Jun 2010	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	3	County
28 Jun 2020	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$30M	—	—	—	County
14 Mar 2010	Flood	Flood	—	$17M	—	—	—	County
24 May 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	$1.0M	—	—	1	County
1 Jun 2010	Lightning	Lightning	—	$20K	—	—	1	County
10 Aug 2012	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
1 Jul 2020	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
29 Mar 2010	Flood	Flood	—	$8.3M	—	—	—	County
21 Aug 2004	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	County
13 Jun 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$570K	—	—	—	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
18 Apr 2022	DR-4651	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	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 Jul 2018	DR-4379	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
25 Jun 2018	DR-4372	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Flooding	Public assistance
13 Apr 2015	DR-4214	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding	Public assistance
19 Apr 2013	DR-4110	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding	Public assistance
17 Apr 2013	EM-3362	Emergency	Terrorist	Explosions	Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3350	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	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
7 Mar 2011	DR-1959	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
2 Sep 2010	EM-3315	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Earl	Public assistance
3 May 2010	EM-3312	Emergency	Other	Water Main Break	Public assistance
29 Mar 2010	DR-1895	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
10 Nov 2005	DR-1614	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual 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
21 Apr 2004	DR-1512	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding	Individual assistance
15 Jan 2004	EM-3191	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
11 Mar 2003	EM-3175	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
10 Apr 2001	DR-1364	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
28 Mar 2001	EM-3165	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
23 Jun 1998	DR-1224	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains And Flooding	Individual assistance
25 Oct 1996	DR-1142	Major disaster	Flood	Extreme Weather Conditons And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Oct 1996	EM-3119	Emergency	Flood	Extreme Weather Conditions And Flooding	Individual assistance, 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
21 Dec 1992	DR-975	Major disaster	Coastal Storm	Winter Coastal Storm	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Nov 1991	DR-920	Major disaster	Coastal Storm	Coastal Storm	Individual assistance, 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	Individual assistance
28 Oct 1985	DR-751	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Gloria	Public assistance
10 Feb 1978	DR-546	Major disaster	Flood	Coastal Storms, Flood, Ice & Snow	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Sep 1972	DR-357	Major disaster	Fishing Losses	Toxic Algae In Coastal Waters	Individual assistance
6 Mar 1972	DR-325	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, 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 Norfolk County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19783,262

Paid claims2,481

Total paid$26M

Average paid claim$10K

Repetitive-loss properties31734 severe

Residential policies in force3,0151.5% of 206,603 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2025	9	7	$130,648	$18,664
2024	19	12	$147,399	$12,283
2023	27	21	$376,928	$17,949
2022	3	2	$14,659	$7,330
2021	13	6	$47,557	$7,926
2020	19	7	$246,267	$35,181
2019	9	6	$18,362	$3,060
2018	346	292	$7,025,023	$24,058
2017	6	1	$16,691	$16,691
2016	2	1	$248	$248
2015	20	13	$111,944	$8,611
2014	27	20	$183,555	$9,178
2013	37	30	$525,547	$17,518
2012	27	23	$409,072	$17,786
2011	11	3	$15,333	$5,111
2010	476	377	$5,895,069	$15,637
2009	6	3	$30,112	$10,037
2008	29	17	$98,241	$5,779
2007	8	6	$35,468	$5,911
2006	48	43	$346,823	$8,066
2005	153	129	$1,242,995	$9,636
2004	17	10	$33,396	$3,340
2003	8	2	$2,535	$1,268
2002	6	4	$10,260	$2,565

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 92.0 of 100

Expected annual loss$147MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$103,067,766
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$15,628,146
Earthquake	Relatively Moderate	$8,881,734
Coastal flooding	Relatively High	$5,090,645
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$3,862,462
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$3,324,293
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$3,188,601
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,251,777
Ice storm	Relatively High	$1,190,780
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,139,170
Drought	Relatively Low	$97,921
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$81,269
Wildfire	Very Low	$60,867
Hail	Very Low	$42,613
Landslide	Relatively Low	$9,376

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 miles58

Tracks within 50 miles26

Hurricane strength within 50 miles3

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	15 mi	58 mph
Henri	2021	63 mi	63 mph
Ida	2021	93 mi	46 mph
Andrea	2013	43 mi	46 mph
Hanna	2008	33 mi	52 mph
Barry	2007	25 mi	40 mph
Beryl	2006	82 mi	52 mph
Hermine	2004	49 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	47 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	37 mi	69 mph
Josephine	1996	81 mi	52 mph
Bob	1991	55 mi	104 mph
Gloria	1985	85 mi	86 mph
Belle	1976	69 mi	40 mph
Carrie	1972	98 mi	63 mph
Alma	1966	37 mi	46 mph
Esther	1961	60 mi	86 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	99 mi	63 mph
Brenda	1960	59 mi	46 mph
Donna	1960	43 mi	92 mph
Cindy	1959	41 mi	58 mph
Diane	1955	89 mi	46 mph
Carol	1954	65 mi	115 mph
Edna	1954	56 mi	109 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1952	93 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

02169 1,434
02171 238
02191 238
02184 175
02025 148
02170 146
02186 103
02026 77
02343 50
02062 44
02492 42
02090 42
02021 39
02067 38
02482 38
02188 37
02056 35
02072 34
02038 33
02368 32
02189 27
02019 25
02481 21
02190 20
02030 16
02081 14
02167 12
02192 11
02446 11
02052 9
02035 9
02054 8
02053 7
02494 6
02032 6
02146 6
02181 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 Norfolk County, MA?

NCEI records 82 hail events in Norfolk County since 1950, in 27 different years; that is about 1.1 recorded events a year. 6 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Norfolk County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 15 tornadoes in Norfolk County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Norfolk County?

15 Sep 2023: Hurricane Lee, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 38 declarations since 1953.

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

3,262 NFIP claims since 1978, 2,481 of them paid, for $26M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Norfolk 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, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Norfolk County compare with the rest of Massachusetts?

142.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 210.6 statewide, and 4.5 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 1 Oct 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 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.