Natural hazards · St. James

St. James, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. James comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. James?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding48%Hurricanes16%Drought9%Tornadoes7%Heat waves5%Everything else15%

By hazard

What St. James faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 12% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Drought

9% of expected damage

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 St. James flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in St. James.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.

Disasters that hit St. James

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. James itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into St. JamesDeclared for Washington County only

Washington County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

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. St. James covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to St. James’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to St. James. 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 St. James 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.