District of Columbia, District of Columbia: hazard risk
FEMA rates District of Columbia's overall risk Relatively High (score 97.6 of 100, higher than 97% of rated U.S. counties); 10 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by strong wind, winter weather, lightning. Its storm record holds 994 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | 98.2 | $5.8M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 96.8 | $946K |
| Lightning | Very High | 96.6 | $2.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 99.2 | $40M |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98.3 | $61M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 97.4 | $130M |
| Hail | Relatively High | 97.0 | $4.2M |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 96.0 | $29M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 94.1 | $11M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 90.4 | $7.5M |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 74.0 | $1.5M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 70.2 | $222K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 80.9 | $17K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 26.2 | $12K |
| Drought | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
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 | 344 | 3 | $33M | ||
| Floods | 267 | 0 | $45M | ||
| Winter storms | 129 | 1 | $97K | ||
| Heat | 70 | 8 | – | ||
| High wind and dust storms | 43 | 0 | $809K | ||
| Hail | 38 | 0 | $1K | ||
| Extreme cold | 27 | 2 | – | ||
| Heavy rain | 14 | 0 | $6K | ||
| Drought | 11 | 0 | $9K | ||
| Lightning | 8 | 3 | $266K | ||
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 0 | $204M | ||
| Tornadoes | 5 | 0 | $221K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full District of Columbia record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.