DisasterAWARE
7
Very High

hurricane Hurricane Risk in Boston, MA

Risk Level: Very High — Score 7/10

FEMA: 7Historical: 5

Live Hurricane alert status near Boston

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Key Risk Factors

  • FEMA rates Boston's county as Relatively High risk
  • Estimated annual loss of $13M from this hazard type
  • 11 tropical cyclones on record near Boston since 1999, each storm counted once (track within 250 km at tropical-storm strength or stronger)
  • Occurs roughly 0.18 times per year on average
  • Within the hurricane strike zone

Peak season: August-October

Last significant event: Tropical Storm Wanda (2021-10-31)

Highest Risk Cities for Hurricanes

1
Houston, TX
FEMA: 9Historical: 7
2
Miami, FL
FEMA: 9Historical: 7
3
Tampa, FL
FEMA: 9Historical: 7
4
New Orleans, LA
FEMA: 9Historical: 7
5
Manila, Philippines
Risk: 9Historical: 10
6
Mexico City, Mexico
Risk: 9Historical: 6
7
Mumbai, India
Risk: 9Historical: 3
8
Shanghai, China
Risk: 9Historical: 10
9
Bangkok, Thailand
Risk: 9Historical: 0
10
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Risk: 9Historical: 8
Boston is not in the top 10 for hurricane risk among tracked cities.

How Boston Compares

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Notable Hurricane Events Near Boston

DisasterAWARE's historical archive records 5 notable hurricane events near Boston, ranked below by impact. The most impactful: Hurricane Elsa (June 2021).

Hurricane Elsa

June 30, 2021 — WARNING

Centre passed 32 km from Boston at 45 kt (83 km/h); storm peak Category 1 · 139 km/h

Hurricane Floyd

September 7, 1999 — WARNING

Centre passed 46 km from Boston at 48 kt (89 km/h); storm peak Category 4 · 250 km/h

Tropical Storm Andrea

June 5, 2013 — WATCH

Centre passed 34 km from Boston at 40 kt (74 km/h); storm peak Tropical Storm · 102 km/h

Tropical Storm Wanda

October 31, 2021 — INFORMATION

Centre passed 174 km from Boston at 60 kt (111 km/h); storm peak Tropical Storm · 111 km/h

Hurricane Hanna

September 7, 2008 — INFORMATION

Centre passed 11 km from Boston at 45 kt (83 km/h); storm peak Category 1 · 139 km/h

Hurricane Preparedness Tips

  • 1.Know your evacuation zone and plan routes in advance
  • 2.Install storm shutters or have plywood pre-cut for windows
  • 3.Stock at least 3 days of water, food, and medications
  • 4.Secure outdoor furniture and trim trees near structures
  • 5.Review your insurance coverage for wind and flood damage

Related Pages

earthquake
Earthquake Risk in Boston
Score: 5/10
wildfire
Wildfire Risk in Boston
Score: 1/10
flood
Flood Risk in Boston
Score: 7/10
tornado
Tornado Risk in Boston
Score: 5/10
winter-storm
Winter Storm Risk in Boston
Score: 7/10
landslide
Landslide Risk in Boston
Score: 1/10
extreme-heat
Extreme Heat Risk in Boston
Score: 7/10
drought
Drought Risk in Boston
Score: 0/10
high-wind
High Wind Risk in Boston
Score: 5/10
tsunami
Tsunami Risk in Boston
Score: 0/10
hurricane
Hurricane Risk in New York, NY
Score: 7/10
hurricane
Hurricane Risk in Philadelphia, PA
Score: 7/10
hurricane
Hurricane Risk in Baltimore, MD
Score: 5/10

How this data is built

Boston, MA hurricane risk combines Historical Event Intelligence with authoritative hazard modeling from the Geospatial Intelligence Layers catalog. Live hurricane monitoring is available through the Event Intelligence API and the DisasterAWARE Platform.

The data behind this page

Every score and event here comes from DisasterAWARE's hazard database — available as downloadable historical datasets and a real-time API.

Historical hurricane event data for Boston, MA — free dataset samples →Real-time hurricane alerts by API →

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