Natural hazards · North Kensington

North Kensington, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in North Kensington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 2006.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is North Kensington?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in North Kensington to be higher than in 9% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding55%Heat waves10%Earthquakes10%Hurricanes8%Cold waves6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What North Kensington faces

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

Inland flooding

55% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

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 North Kensington flood?

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

8paid claims since 2006

$402Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20062026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 1 claim, $6K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. North Kensington 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 North Kensington

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into North KensingtonDeclared for Montgomery County only

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

Around North Kensington

North Kensington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

South Kensingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

North Kensingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

Wheatonmostly inland floodingVery low

Kensingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

North Bethesdamostly 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. North Kensington covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to North Kensington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to North Kensington. 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 North Kensington total about $1.1M 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.