Natural disaster risk in Hampden County, Massachusetts

Massachusetts · population 465,327 · FIPS 25013

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Hampden County has a composite risk score of 92.8 out of 100 — higher than 92% of US counties. It ranks 5 of 14 in Massachusetts (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are inland (riverine) flooding, ice storm, hurricane.

Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 35.05% of Hampden County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.

Drought in Hampden County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively moderate 92.8
Expected annual loss
About $106.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 91.3
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 64.5
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively high 73.2

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hampden County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively high 95
Ice storm Relatively high 94
Hurricane Relatively high 93
Strong wind Relatively high 91
Earthquake Relatively moderate 90
Heat wave Relatively moderate 89
Cold wave Relatively moderate 84
Winter weather Relatively moderate 84
Hail Relatively moderate 83
Tornado Relatively moderate 82
Lightning Relatively moderate 71
Landslide Relatively low 67
Drought Relatively low 58
Wildfire Very low 39
Avalanche Very low 38
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Hampden County

Federal declarations that designated Hampden County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Hampden County.

All FEMA declarations in Massachusetts, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.

How to read these ratings

  • Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
  • Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
  • Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
  • Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
  • Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
  • Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
  • "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).

About this data

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.

Questions

What is the natural disaster risk in Hampden County, Massachusetts?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hampden County as relatively moderate, with a score of 92.8 out of 100 (higher than 92% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Hampden County?

The hazards rated highest for Hampden County are inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), hurricane (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Hampden County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hampden County as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Hampden County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Hampden County.

Is Hampden County in a drought?

No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 35.05% of Hampden County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.

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