2,242 flood insurance claims·$37.5M paid·9 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Middlesex County, Connecticut. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding and inland river flooding dominate the flood profile of Middlesex County, supplemented by significant coastal flood events. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 26 flash flood events, 16 general flood events, 10 coastal flood events, 6 tropical storms, and 1 storm surge or tide event. Recent historical events illustrate these hazards, such as the moderate coastal flooding driven by strong low pressure and high astronomical tides on January 13, 2024, and the torrential rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour from slow-moving thunderstorms on July 4, 2023. Additionally, the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought 5 to 8-plus inches of rain over a few hours on September 2, 2021, causing widespread flash flooding and extensive river flooding.
Federal Emergency Management Agency insurance data reflects varying impacts across flood zones. Zone A recorded 1,356 claims with an average payout of $23,120 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Zone V saw 331 claims averaging $32,407 with an average depth of 4 inches. Zone X accounts for 199 claims averaging $14,657 and 4 inches of water depth, while Zone X shaded includes 145 claims averaging $12,932 and 5 inches of water depth, and Zone X unshaded contains 110 claims averaging $20,480 and 7 inches of water depth.
Property owners in high-risk coastal and riverine areas should pay the most attention to these flood risks, particularly those in Zone A and Zone V where claim volumes and payouts are highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Middlesex County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,942 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 6 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2012, with 570 claims and $18.0M paid, the year of Hurricane Sandy.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
15 NOAA storm reports from Middlesex County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Connecticut flood stories →
28 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | Aug 4, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 25, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Severe Storm | Oct 29, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 26 flash floods, 16 river or area floods and 11 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2023 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 9, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 2, 2021 | $50,270 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 4, 2020 | $1.3M |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 16, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2024. Strong low pressure shifted northeast through the eastern Great Lakes on January 13, 2024, sending a warm front through during the morning hours, followed quickly by a cold front. Strong winds produced by this system, combined with peaking high astronomical tides associated with a recent new moon, produced widespread moderate coastal flooding along the southern Connecticut coastline.
Coastal Flood · Jan 10, 2024. Strong low pressure moving northeast from the Mid Atlantic region to southern New England during the night of January 9, 2024 into the early morning hours of January 10, 2024 produced high winds, which combined with high astronomical tides associated with an upcoming new moon to produce moderate coastal flooding along the southeast Connecticut coastline.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2023. A stalled frontal boundary over the area provided a focus for convection to develop in the afternoon on July 4th. CAPE values of greater than 2000 J/kg and PWAT values near 1.8-2 allowed thunderstorms that developed along the stationary front to slowly drift southward while producing torrential rainfall rates of 1-2 per hour. Some areas saw 1-3 of rain over a 1 to 3 hour period which produced localized flash flood…
Tropical Storm · Aug 22, 2021. Tropical storm Henri with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph made landfall on the Rhode Island coast, near Westerly, at 12:30pm EDT Sunday, August 22. Henri then continued turning to the west as the storm weakened over Connecticut becoming a depression by evening. Henri meandered towards the Lower Hudson Valley of New York as the storm continued to interact with an upper level trough, before being swept eastward of…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Middlesex County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.