160 flood insurance claims·$1.7M paid·7 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 Dukes 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.
Coastal flooding dominates the flood risk profile in Dukes County, supported by 21 coastal flood events out of 36 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside tropical storms and storm surges.
Recent impacts are illustrated by severe nor'easters and winter storms, such as the strong low pressure system in January 2022 that brought moderate coastal flooding and strong winds to the south coast, and the offshore nor'easter in April 2024 that caused minor to moderate coastal flooding along the Massachusetts east coast.
NFIP claim data shows that properties in Zone A and Zone V experience the highest frequency of claims, with 93 claims averaging an 8-inch recorded water depth in Zone A and 12 claims averaging a 2-inch recorded water depth in Zone V. Meanwhile, Zone X properties recorded an average water depth of 26 inches across 18 claims. Coastal property owners, as well as those located in designated Zone A and Zone V flood zones, should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Dukes County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
115 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 1991, with 79 claims and $1.1M paid, the year of Hurricane Bob and Coastal Storm.
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.
23 NOAA storm reports from Dukes County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Massachusetts flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Lee | Sep 15, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Jan 26, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding | Feb 8, 2013 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Tropical Storm Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Hurricane Earl | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding | Apr 15, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 9 river or area floods and 23 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood | Apr 4, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Mar 4, 2023 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 29, 2022 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | $5,000 |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 17, 2022 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 22, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 23, 2020 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Apr 3, 2020 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Coastal Flood · Apr 4, 2024. A strong Nor'easter passed offshore of southern New England bringing widespread heavy rainfall, high elevation snow and sleet, as well as strong winds to the region. There was minor flooding on some rivers as well as minor to moderate coastal flooding along the east coast of MA. This was a late season snow storm with very elevation dependent snowfall totals from 0 to over 8 inches. Wind damage was sporadic and mos…
Coastal Flood · Mar 4, 2023. Low pressure just south of the New England coast intensified early on March 4 and moved off the coast during the day. Heavy snow occurred in the higher terrain of northern and western MA, while mixed precipitation occurred elsewhere. Initial snow began before midnight on March 3. Then another round occurred with the comma head during the late morning/afternoon on March 4. Winds gusted to 45 to 55 mph near the c…
Coastal Flood · Jan 29, 2022. Explosive cyclogenesis of a low pressure center off the Mid Atlantic coast brought a strong winter storm with blizzard conditions to all of southern New England Saturday and Saturday night. The storm tracked from east of the Carolinas to the 70w/40n benchmark bringing extreme snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour and winds gusting to hurricane force along the coast and 50 to 60 mph inland. The heaviest snow, ju…
Coastal Flood · Dec 23, 2022. Low pressure deepened rapidly as it tracked through the eastern Great Lakes.|The storm produced damaging southeast to south winds across much of southern New England and minor to moderate coastal flooding the east and south coasts. There were two rounds of strong wind gusts -- one in the morning and one in the late afternoon and evening. Two to 3.5 inches of rain fell across much of RI and interior MA.
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 Dukes 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.