These maps were created for the Central Artery/ Tunnel (CA/T) Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment, completed in June 2015 for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.  They represent the same data, flood model and scientific team as involved in the Climate Ready Boston maps, but include more site-specific details.

The team of UMass Boston scientists and Woods Hole Group modelers created a hydrodynamic Boston Harbor Flood Risk Model to identify both the predicted coastal flood risks and flood depths from coastal storms and sea level rise.  Please see the Climate Change and Extreme Weather Vulnerability and Adaptation Options for the Central Artery/Tunnel System (Pilot Project Report) for more details on the study.

Look carefully at the name of each flood map.  They are given for three time frames:  2013, 2030 and 2070.  For each time period, three measures of flooding are given:

  • The likelihood of a particular location experiencing saltwater flooding in a given year,
  • The depth of saltwater flooding in a particular location during a 1% high water event during a given year (note: this is roughly equivalent to what we used to call the “hundred-year flood”), and
  • The depth of saltwater flooding in a particular location during a 0.1% high water event during a given year (note: this is roughly equivalent to what we used to call the “thousand-year flood”).

Before using these maps, please read this disclaimer and view Frequently Asked Questions about the model.

(Miss The Boston Harbor Association 2010 “bathtub model” maps?  They are also provided below.)

Climate Ready Boston Maps (2017)
Climate Ready Boston Explorer

Map source Section 1: MassDOT Map source Section 2: Preparing for the Rising Tide