Arlington County, Virginia: hazard risk
FEMA rates Arlington County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 66.8 of 100, higher than 66% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by lightning. Its storm record holds 620 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 82.7 | $1.2M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 89.9 | $4.4M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 84.3 | $381K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 81.2 | $2.0M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 73.8 | $23M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 80.4 | $3.0M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 73.0 | $1.4M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 64.2 | $639K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 54.8 | $154K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 44.1 | $1.5M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 30.2 | $617K |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | 41.6 | $34K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 20.8 | $185 |
| Drought | Very Low | 18.0 | $3K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 5.7 | $3K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 179 | 0 | $12M | ||
| Winter storms | 142 | 1 | $749K | ||
| Floods | 72 | 1 | $5.7M | ||
| Heat | 66 | 1 | – | ||
| High wind and dust storms | 39 | 0 | $6.1M | ||
| Extreme cold | 33 | 0 | – | ||
| Hail | 18 | 0 | $995 | ||
| Heavy rain | 11 | 0 | – | ||
| Drought | 9 | 0 | – | ||
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 7 | 0 | $8.4M | ||
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $23K | ||
| Tornadoes | 4 | 0 | $2.4M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Arlington County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.