Natural hazards · Ashton-Sandy Spring

Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ashton-Sandy Spring comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Ashton-Sandy Spring?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ashton-Sandy Spring to be higher than in 3% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding59%Hurricanes11%Heat waves7%Earthquakes6%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Ashton-Sandy Spring faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 7% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 3% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Ashton-Sandy Spring flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ashton-Sandy Spring.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Ashton-Sandy Spring isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.

Disasters that hit Ashton-Sandy Spring

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ashton-Sandy Spring itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Ashton-Sandy SpringDeclared for Montgomery County only

Montgomery County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around Ashton-Sandy Spring

Ashton-Sandy Spring and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Cloverlymostly inland floodingVery low

Olneymostly inland floodingVery low

Ashton-Sandy Springmostly inland floodingVery low

Spencervillemostly inland floodingVery low

Burtonsvillemostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Ashton-Sandy Spring covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ashton-Sandy Spring’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Ashton-Sandy Spring. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Ashton-Sandy Spring total about $981K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.