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Natural hazards · Silver Spring

Silver Spring, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Silver Spring comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1979. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Silver Spring?

8
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Silver Spring to be higher than in 8% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding55%Heat waves12%Hurricanes8%Cold waves7%Earthquakes5%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Silver Spring 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

12% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 3% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 11 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

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 40% 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 Silver Spring flood?

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

16paid claims since 1979
$55Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $4K
  • Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $4K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Silver 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2buildings floodproofed
Disasters that hit Silver Spring

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Silver SpringDeclared for Montgomery County only
2003

Hurricane Isabel

302 households applied for aid $236K aid approved
Montgomery County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.
Around Silver Spring

Silver Spring and the towns around it

Chevy Chase: Very low, mostly inland floodingTakoma Park: Very low, mostly inland floodingFour Corners: Low, mostly inland floodingWashington: Very low, mostly inland floodingSouth Kensington: Very low, mostly inland floodingLangley Park: Low, mostly inland floodingHillandale: Very low, mostly inland floodingForest Glen: Very low, mostly inland floodingAdelphi: Very low, mostly inland floodingKemp Mill: Very low, mostly inland floodingBethesda: Very low, mostly inland floodingChevy Chase Section Five: Very low, mostly inland floodingMartin's Additions: Very low, mostly inland floodingChevy Chase: Very low, mostly inland floodingChillum: Low, mostly inland floodingBurnt Mills: Very low, mostly inland floodingArlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingAlexandria: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBrookmont: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Bethesda: Very low, mostly inland floodingKensington: Very low, mostly inland floodingChevy Chase View: Very low, mostly inland floodingGarrett Park: Very low, mostly inland floodingWheaton: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Kensington: Very low, mostly inland floodingBeltsville: Very low, mostly inland floodingWhite Oak: Very low, mostly inland floodingCollege Park: Very low, mostly inland floodingHyattsville: Low, mostly inland floodingUniversity Park: Very low, mostly inland floodingColesville: Very low, mostly inland floodingSilver Spring: Very low, mostly inland flooding Silver SpringChevy ChaseTakoma ParkFour CornersWashingtonSouth KensingtonLangley ParkHillandaleForest GlenAdelphiKemp Mill
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Four Cornersmostly inland floodingLow
Langley Parkmostly inland floodingLow
South Kensingtonmostly inland floodingVery low
Kemp Millmostly inland floodingVery low
Chevy Chasemostly inland floodingVery low
Hillandalemostly inland floodingVery low
Silver Springmostly inland floodingVery low
Takoma Parkmostly inland floodingVery low
Forest Glenmostly inland floodingVery low
Adelphimostly inland floodingVery low
Washingtonmostly 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. Silver Spring covers 19 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Silver Spring’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Silver 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 Silver Spring 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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