Natural hazards · Franconia

Franconia, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Franconia comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Franconia?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes9%Heat waves8%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Franconia faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Heat waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year 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 Franconia flood?

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

2paid claims since 2011

$16Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20112026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Fairfax County.

Disasters that hit Franconia

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into FranconiaDeclared for Fairfax County only

Fairfax County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

Around Franconia

Franconia and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Newingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

Rose Hillmostly inland floodingVery low

Franconiamostly inland floodingVery low

Lincolniamostly inland floodingVery low

Springfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Kingstownemostly 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. Franconia covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Franconia’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Franconia. 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 Franconia total about $2.0M 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.