Natural hazards · Lexington

Lexington, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lexington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1982. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lexington?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lexington to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Earthquakes9%Lightning8%Hurricanes6%Cold waves6%Strong wind5%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Lexington faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Lightning

8% of expected damage

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

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslides

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 Lexington flood?

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

29paid claims since 1982

$407Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19822026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Fran: 3 claims, $120K
Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $2K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: the county.

Disasters that hit Lexington

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LexingtonDeclared for the county only

2012

Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds

$184K to the City of Lexington for repairs

the county has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

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. Lexington covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lexington’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lexington. 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 Lexington total about $2.2M 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.