Natural hazards · Aspen Hill

Aspen Hill, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Aspen Hill comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Aspen Hill?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Aspen Hill to be higher than in 5% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding53%Heat waves12%Hurricanes9%Cold waves7%Earthquakes6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Aspen Hill faces

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

Inland flooding

53% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 11% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

12% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

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

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Aspen Hill flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aspen Hill, from FEMA’s records.

33paid claims since 1978

$151Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 3 claims, $12K
Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $13K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Aspen Hill 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 Aspen Hill

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aspen Hill itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Aspen HillDeclared for Montgomery County only

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

Around Aspen Hill

Aspen Hill and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Layhillmostly inland floodingLow

Wheatonmostly inland floodingVery low

Cloverlymostly inland floodingVery low

Glenmontmostly inland floodingVery low

Aspen Hillmostly inland floodingVery low

Olneymostly inland floodingVery low

Leisure Worldmostly inland floodingVery low

North Bethesdamostly inland floodingVery low

Rockvillemostly 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. Aspen Hill covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Aspen Hill’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Aspen Hill. 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 Aspen Hill total about $4.4M 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.