388 flood insurance claims·$3.0M paid·3 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 Berkshire County, Massachusetts. 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 general river flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk profile in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Over a recent 30-year period, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 108 flash flood events, 45 flood events, and 4 tropical storms. A notable recent event occurred on July 10, 2023, when an upper-level system brought widespread showers and thunderstorms with rainfall totals generally ranging from 1.50 to 4.00 inches. This event resulted in closed and washed-out roads in the City of North Adams and the towns of Clarksburg, Becket, Sheffield, Washington, and Great Barrington.
Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims span multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for the majority of claims with 242 filings, averaging a $12,956 payout and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Properties located outside of primary high-risk areas also experience impacts; for example, unshaded Zone X accounts for 55 claims with an average payout of $19,921 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in Zone A and unshaded Zone X, where historical claims indicate meaningful water depths and financial payouts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
26% of Berkshire County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
327 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 8 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 2011, with 100 claims and $1.4M paid, the year of Hurricane Irene, Severe Storm and Severe Storm and Snowstorm.
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.
56 NOAA storm reports from Berkshire County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Massachusetts flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1985, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Lee | Sep 15, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Severe Storm | Oct 29, 2011 |
| Severe Storm And Snowstorm | Oct 29, 2011 |
| Tropical Storm Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 11, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
157 since 1996: 108 flash floods and 45 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | $1.5M |
| Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jul 10, 2023 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2023 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Dec 18, 2023. An area of low pressure tracked up the East Coast and intensified in the process as it brought widespread moderate to heavy rainfall across western Massachusetts on December 18, 2023. The rain fell light to moderate in intensity during the early morning hours, then became heavier during the later morning and early afternoon hours before tapering off. Rainfall totals were between 2 and 4 inches. This rain led to bo…
Flash Flood · Jul 13, 2023. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms ahead and along a cold frontal boundary resulted in widespread downed trees and wires across western Massachusetts during the afternoon and evening hours of July 13, 2023.
Flood · Jul 10, 2023. A strong upper-level system brought widespread rounds of showers and thunderstorms to western Massachusetts on July 9-10, 2023. The steadiest and heaviest rainfall occurred during the early morning hours on July 10 which resulted in areas of flooding. Rainfall totals were generally in the 1.50 to 4.00 inch range.||Areas receiving flooding included the City of North Adams and the towns of Clarksburg, Becket, Sheffi…
Flash Flood · Jun 2, 2023. An upper-level disturbance brought numerous showers and thunderstorms to portions of Berkshire County on June 2, 2023. The overall northerly wind flow pattern combined with upslope assistance from the Green Mountains in southern Vermont produced training thunderstorms which repeatedly crossed the City of North Adams during the afternoon hours, resulting in accumulating hail up to dime size, damaging wind gusts dow…
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 Berkshire 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.