Flood risk and storm water in Silver Spring

Flash floods are frequent in Montgomery County. NOAA storm reports logged 88 days with flash flood or flood reports there from 2016 to 2025, and the county has had 8 major disaster declarations for floods and storms since 2000. Silver Spring's own figures are modest by comparison. FEMA's National Risk Index puts the city's yearly inland flood loss at 45 per $100,000 of building value, a little above the county's 39 and the state's 40.

FEMA flood insurance records show 0.7 claims per 1,000 homes in the city from 2016 to 2025, against 0.6 for the county, and the average building payment here was $3,831, against $12,789 countywide. Payments that small point to shallow water, such as a few inches in a basement or an apartment garage, rather than deep flooding. On about 13 days a year, an inch of rain or more falls, by NOAA climate normals. In a city where 24% of homes were built before 1950, older basements and drain lines can let water in during those storms, and with 60% of homes in buildings with 5 or more units, a flooded garage or ground floor affects many households.

Water from outside is Category 3. It carries soil, runoff and sewage, so the restoration crew removes soaked carpet, drywall and insulation and disinfects before drying. Homeowners and renters policies exclude it, and 0.8% of Montgomery County homes carry federal flood insurance. If a floor drain also backed up during a storm in the Silver Spring area, ask whether sewage cleanup is part of the job.