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Natural hazards · McLean

McLean, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in McLean comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1985.

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

How exposed is McLean?

18
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in McLean to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding71%Hurricanes9%Earthquakes7%Everything else12%
By hazard

What McLean faces

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

Inland flooding

71% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 McLean flood?

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

57paid claims since 1985
$1.3Mpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19852026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Ida: 5 claims, $87K
  • Hurricane Isabel: 1 claim, $13K
  • Hurricane Gloria: 1 claim, $2K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. McLean 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit McLean

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into McLeanDeclared for Fairfax County only
Fairfax County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.
Around McLean

McLean and the towns around it

Great Falls: Low, mostly inland floodingPotomac: Very low, mostly inland floodingBrookmont: Very low, mostly inland floodingCabin John: Very low, mostly inland floodingWolf Trap: Low, mostly inland floodingPimmit Hills: Very low, mostly inland floodingTysons: Very low, mostly inland floodingIdylwood: Very low, mostly inland floodingArlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingFalls Church: Very low, mostly inland floodingTravilah: Very low, mostly inland floodingDarnestown: Very low, mostly inland floodingGreat Falls Crossing: Very low, mostly inland floodingDranesville: Low, mostly inland floodingRockville: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Bethesda: Very low, mostly inland floodingBethesda: Very low, mostly inland floodingGlen Echo: Very low, mostly inland floodingWashington: Very low, mostly inland floodingVienna: Low, mostly inland floodingOakton: Very low, mostly inland floodingReston: Very low, mostly inland floodingDifficult Run: Very low, mostly inland floodingDunn Loring: Very low, mostly inland floodingWest Falls Church: Very low, mostly inland floodingMerrifield: Very low, mostly inland floodingAlexandria: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBailey's Crossroads: Very low, mostly inland floodingSeven Corners: Very low, mostly inland floodingMcLean: Very low, mostly inland flooding McLeanGreat FallsPotomacBrookmontCabin JohnWolf TrapPimmit HillsTysonsIdylwoodArlingtonFalls Church
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Wolf Trapmostly inland floodingLow
Great Fallsmostly inland floodingLow
McLeanmostly inland floodingVery low
Arlingtonmostly inland floodingVery low
Falls Churchmostly inland floodingVery low
Brookmontmostly inland floodingVery low
Cabin Johnmostly inland floodingVery low
Pimmit Hillsmostly inland floodingVery low
Potomacmostly inland floodingVery low
Idylwoodmostly inland floodingVery low
Tysonsmostly 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. McLean covers 11 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to McLean’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to McLean. 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 McLean total about $12.9M 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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