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Natural hazard risk in City of Baltimore, Maryland

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively High (score 95.0 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$136.3 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1971
20[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$26.7 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
5[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) gives City of Baltimore an overall Risk Index rating of Relatively High, compared with other US counties[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA hazard-type Risk Index scores for City of Baltimore are heat wave, winter weather and cold wave[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in City of Baltimore at $136.3 million a year[1]. This is FEMA's estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid[7]. FEMA's largest hazard-type estimates are inland flooding, heat wave and cold wave, in that order[8]. FEMA rates Social Vulnerability Relatively High, which describes how susceptible social groups are to harm from natural hazards[9]. FEMA rates Community Resilience Relatively High, which describes a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards[10]. FEMA says the index is not meant to predict damage in the next year[7].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
Heat WaveRelatively High$38.1 million[11]
Winter WeatherVery High$944,000[12]
Cold WaveRelatively High$12.3 million[13]
Strong WindRelatively High$2.7 million[14]
TornadoRelatively High$10.0 million[15]
Inland FloodingRelatively High$52.4 million[16]
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$6.9 million[17]
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$9.7 million[18]
LightningRelatively High$1.1 million[19]
HailRelatively Moderate$1.2 million[20]
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$248,000[21]
Coastal FloodingRelatively Moderate$559,000[22]
LandslideVery Low$371[23]
WildfireVery Low$7,783[24]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity[25].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively High74.0[9]
Community resilienceRelatively High78.7[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively High and coastal flooding Relatively Moderate for City of Baltimore, compared with other US counties[16][22]. OpenFEMA lists 678 residential flood insurance contracts in force out of 202,958 residential structures as of 2026-08-03[26]. OpenFEMA NFIP data shows 1,065 claims filed for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $26.7 million in total[3]. Flood zones apply to specific properties, so FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the place to look up an address[27].

Measure Value
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[16] Relatively High, $52.4 million expected loss a year
Coastal Flooding, FEMA risk rating[22] Relatively Moderate, $559,000 expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[26] 678 of 202,958 homes
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 1,065 filed, $26.7 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[27]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 20 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include City of Baltimore since 1971[2]. The most recent listed is a Severe Winter Storm emergency declared 2026-01-24[28]. NOAA's tornado database records 5 tornadoes that touched the city from 1950 to 2024, and the strongest were rated EF1[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include City of Baltimore, since 1971
Incident type Declarations
Snowstorm[2] 6
Hurricane[2] 6
Severe Storm[2] 4
Flood[2] 3
Winter Storm[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
EM-3634-MD[28] Severe Winter Storm 2026-01-24
DR-4261-MD[28] Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm 2016-03-04
DR-4091-MD[28] Hurricane Sandy 2012-11-20
EM-3349-MD[28] Hurricane Sandy 2012-10-28
DR-4075-MD[28] Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds 2012-08-02

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Extreme heat

Before

  • Learn the signs of heat illness and how to respond.
  • Do not rely on a fan as your main way to stay cool. Fans do not lower body temperature.
  • Find cool public places, such as libraries or malls, or ask your local health department.
  • Keep heat out with window shades, weather stripping and insulation.
  • If you cannot afford cooling costs, contact LIHEAP for help.

During

  • Never leave a person or an animal in a parked car in warm weather.
  • If your home has no air conditioning, go to a cooling center.
  • Wear light, loose clothing, drink plenty of fluids and avoid hard outdoor work in the middle of the day.

Source: Ready.gov, extreme heat

Winter storms and cold

Before

  • Insulate your home and learn how to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Install and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup.
  • Keep several days of supplies in case the power goes out, including medication and pet needs.
  • Put an emergency kit in your car with jumper cables, sand, blankets, water and snacks, and keep the tank full.

During

  • Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away.
  • Stay off the roads if you can. If you are stuck in your car, stay inside it.
  • Run generators and grills only outdoors, away from windows, and never heat your home with an oven or stove.

Source: Ready.gov, winter storms and cold

Tornadoes

Before

  • Learn the warning signs: a rotating funnel cloud, an approaching cloud of debris or a loud roar like a freight train.
  • Sign up for community warning systems and learn what your local sirens sound like.
  • Pick a safe spot, such as a safe room built to FEMA criteria or an ICC 500 storm shelter, and practice getting there.
  • Include your pets in the household emergency plan.
  • Keep supplies, food, water and medication in case you have to stay home for a long time.

During

  • Go right away to the safe place you picked in advance.
  • Protect your head and neck with your arms and stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
  • No place in a car is fully safe. If you can get lower than the road, leave the car and lie down there.

Source: Ready.gov, tornadoes

Questions people ask

Is City of Baltimore at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates inland flooding risk Relatively High and coastal flooding Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[16][22]. For a specific address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[27].
Does City of Baltimore get tornadoes?
NOAA's tornado database records 5 tornadoes that touched the city from 1950 to 2024, with the strongest rated EF1[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively High compared with other US counties[15].
Is City of Baltimore at risk of earthquakes or wildfire?
FEMA rates earthquake risk Relatively Moderate[17] and wildfire risk Very Low compared with other US counties[24].
How many disasters have been declared for City of Baltimore?
OpenFEMA lists 20 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include the city since 1971[2].
How do I check a flood zone?
Look up the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or ask the local floodplain manager[27].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in City of Baltimore is $136.3 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively Moderate, score 93.4). Of this, buildings account for $70.2 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 20 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include City of Baltimore since 1971 (14 major disaster, 6 emergency or fire management). By incident type: snowstorm 6, hurricane 6, severe storm 4, flood 3, winter storm 1. Biological (such as COVID-19) and... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 1,065 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in City of Baltimore, 762 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $26.7 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 5 recorded tornadoes touched City of Baltimore. The strongest were rated EF1 (most recent of them on 2024-06-05). 0 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2024-06-05. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for City of Baltimore is Relatively High, with a Risk Index score of 95.0 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for City of Baltimore are heat wave (99.4, Relatively High), winter weather (97.8, Very High), cold wave (96.9, Relatively High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores;... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  8. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for City of Baltimore (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are inland flooding ($52.4 million a year), heat wave ($38.1 million a year), cold wave ($12.3 million a year), out of $136.3 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for City of Baltimore is Relatively High (score 74.0). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for City of Baltimore is Relatively High (score 78.7). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 99.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $38.1 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 6.8 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Very High (score 97.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $944,000 a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 10.83 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 96.9 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $12.3 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 1.5 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 96.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.7 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 8.13 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 95.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $10.0 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 0.07 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 94.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $52.4 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.89 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of... FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 93.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $6.9 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0011 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 92.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $9.7 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 0.1 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172... FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 92.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.1 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 38.66 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 88.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.2 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 3.6 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 76.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $248,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.95 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68... FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), coastal flooding in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 64.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $559,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 3.687 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 35.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $371 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in City of Baltimore: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 24.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $7,783 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  25. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for City of Baltimore: avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered geographically possible there. FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  26. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 678 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in City of Baltimore, out of 202,958 residential structures, a penetration rate of 0.3%. OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  27. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  28. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.