Flood Risk in Washington, DC
Risk Level: Very High — Score 7/10
Live Flood alert status near Washington
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Live flood map around Washington
Shows flood warnings and events that are active right now, refreshed through the day. When none are active, the map is empty by design.
Key Risk Factors
- FEMA rates Washington's county as Relatively High risk
- Estimated annual loss of $130M from this hazard type
- Extensive history of significant events in this area
- High recent activity — multiple events in the 12 months to Aug 9, 2026
- Average annual frequency: 4.2 events per year
Peak season: March-September
Last significant event: Flash Flood - Washington D.C. metro area, United States (2026-07-28) — 803,000 people exposed
Highest Risk Cities for Floods
How Washington Compares
Notable Flood Events Near Washington
DisasterAWARE's historical archive records 5 notable flood events near Washington, ranked below by impact. The most impactful: Flash Flood - Washington D.C. metro area, United States (July 2026) — 803,000 people exposed; $847,543M capital exposed.
Flash Flood - Washington D.C. metro area, United States
July 28, 2026 — WARNING
803,000 people exposed; $847,543M capital exposed
Flood - Washington, DC--VA--MD Region, United States
May 11, 2024 — WARNING
594,000 people exposed; $718,055M capital exposed
Flood - Washington, DC--VA--MD Region, United States
August 20, 2019 — WARNING
Impact data not available
Flood - Washington, DC--VA--MD Region, United States
December 24, 2018 — WARNING
Impact data not available
Flood - Washington, DC--VA--MD Region, United States
December 22, 2018 — WARNING
Impact data not available
Flood Preparedness Tips
- 1.Know if your property is in a flood zone — check FEMA maps
- 2.Consider flood insurance even if not in a high-risk zone
- 3.Never drive through flooded roadways — Turn Around, Don’t Drown
- 4.Move valuables and important documents to upper floors
- 5.Install sump pumps and check valves in plumbing
Related Pages
How this data is built
Washington, DC flood risk combines Historical Event Intelligence with authoritative hazard modeling from the Geospatial Intelligence Layers catalog. Live flood monitoring is available through the Event Intelligence API and the DisasterAWARE Platform.
The data behind this page
Every score and event here comes from DisasterAWARE's hazard database — available as downloadable historical datasets and a real-time API.
Monitor Flood Risk in Real Time
Get real-time flood alerts for Washington, DC and hundreds of other locations with DisasterAWARE's enterprise platform.