Natural hazards · Catonsville

Catonsville, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Catonsville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1978. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Catonsville?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Catonsville to be higher than in 3% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding38%Heat waves33%Hurricanes10%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Catonsville faces

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

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 6% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Heat waves

33% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 13% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Catonsville flood?

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

45paid claims since 1978

$865Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $9K
Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $3K
December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $8K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Baltimore County.

Disasters that hit Catonsville

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Catonsville itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Catonsville.

Brought FEMA money into CatonsvilleDeclared for Baltimore County only

2003

Hurricane Isabel

85 households applied for aid $118K aid approved

Baltimore County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Catonsville

Catonsville and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Baltimoremostly inland floodingVery low

Woodlawnmostly inland floodingVery low

Arbutusmostly inland floodingVery low

Catonsvillemostly inland floodingVery low

Ellicott Citymostly inland floodingVery low

Ilchestermostly 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. Catonsville covers 13 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Catonsville’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Catonsville. 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 Catonsville total about $7.4M 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.