Understanding Flood Risks & Protecting Your Property

Is your home protected in the event of a flood?

Use this tool to help understand the risk of flooding to your property and how to protect against it. The Flood Viewer has been developed as an informational tool for the Cambridge community to assess climate change threats from flooding and to prepare for it by implementing specific strategies.

Climate Change Preparedness

The City is in the process of developing a practical guide for climate change preparedness and resilience through the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. This assessment focused on the risks from increasing temperatures, precipitation, and sea level. The assessment sought to identify Cambridge's key physical and social vulnerabilities. The findings are available in Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) Report located in the "Useful Documents & Resources Tab to the right.

Using the Flood Viewer

It is recognized that projected flood information presented in the Flood Viewer are based on climate change scenarios that are drawn from the best available science but involve ranges of uncertainty. The provided flood information will need to be revisited frequently to ensure that our community preparedness efforts continue to reflect updated projections specific to local climate change. Please contact FloodViewer@cambridgema.gov with questions or help using the map.

Go to Full Screen Map (Recommended)

Contact

Questions or trouble using this map? Contact FloodViewer@cambridgema.gov

What does the term "10-Year Storm" mean?

The 10-year storm has a 10% chance of happening in any year, and a 100-year storm has a 1% chance of happening in any year.

What does the "Precipitation Flooding - 2070 - 100-Year Storm" show?

The 2070 map illustrates potential flooding from a projected 100-year 24-hour storm with climate change and an estimated rainfall of 11.7 inches over 24 hours.

What does the "Sea Level Rise / Storm Surge Flooding - 2070 - 100-Year Storm" show?

The 2070 map illustrates potential flooding from a projected 100-year sea level rise storm surges caused by major coastal storms such as hurricanes and nor'easters.