TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
GaithersburgGood night
Natural hazards · Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Gaithersburg comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Gaithersburg?

2
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Gaithersburg to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding49%Heat waves12%Hurricanes11%Cold waves7%Earthquakes6%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Gaithersburg faces

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

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 5% 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

11% 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 47% 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 Gaithersburg flood?

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

6paid claims since 1978
$8Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Isabel: 1 claim, $1K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Gaithersburg 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 Gaithersburg

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into GaithersburgDeclared for Montgomery County only
2016

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$202K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$27K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$11K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms

$210K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2009

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$210K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2003

Hurricane Isabel

62 households applied for aid $41K aid approved $62K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2003

Snow

$94K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
2000

Severe Winter Storm

$41K to the City of Gaithersburg for repairs
Montgomery County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.
Around Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg and the towns around it

Flower Hill: Very low, mostly inland floodingMontgomery Village: Very low, mostly inland floodingRedland: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Potomac: Very low, mostly inland floodingDarnestown: Very low, mostly inland floodingWashington Grove: Very low, mostly inland floodingDerwood: Very low, mostly inland floodingRockville: Very low, mostly inland floodingTravilah: Very low, mostly inland floodingGermantown: Very low, mostly inland floodingGreat Falls: Low, mostly inland floodingLowes Island: Low, mostly inland floodingGaithersburg: Very low, mostly inland flooding GaithersburgFlower HillMontgomery VillageRedlandNorth PotomacDarnestownWashington Grove
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
North Potomacmostly inland floodingVery low
Darnestownmostly inland floodingVery low
Flower Hillmostly inland floodingVery low
Montgomery Villagemostly inland floodingVery low
Redlandmostly inland floodingVery low
Washington Grovemostly inland floodingVery low
Gaithersburgmostly 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. Gaithersburg covers 16 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Gaithersburg’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Gaithersburg. 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 Gaithersburg total about $5.5M 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Gaithersburg, MDView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Gaithersburg is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map