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Snow Hill business center (2008)Photo: Marylandstater · Public domain
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Snow Hill · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Snow Hill faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Snow Hill gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then hurricanes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1991.

River and rain flooding 55%Hurricanes 41%Earthquakes 2%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Maryland · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1991 · $35K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 9 declared for Worcester County
By hazard

What Snow Hill faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

55%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Coastal flooding Tornadoes Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Snow Hill’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Snow Hill’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Snow Hill, and Snow Hill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 41% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Snow Hill sits
Snow Hill
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Snow Hill’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Hurricanes41%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $672K a year in losses across Snow Hill: $527K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Snow Hill’s 2,156 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Snow Hill flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1991

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Snow Hill, from FEMA’s records: 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 1 claim2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199119982002
19912026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $8K
9
paid claims since 1991
$35K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Snow Hill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Worcester County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Snow Hill

Disasters that paid out in Snow Hill itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Snow Hill), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2012Hurricane Sandy$15K to the Town of Snow Hill for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$20K to the Town of Snow Hill for repairs
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$9K to the Town of Snow Hill for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Snow HillWorcester County only

Worcester County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Snow Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Snow Hill archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Snow Hill faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Snow Hill

Is Snow Hill at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Snow Hill has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and hurricanes (41%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Snow Hill flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Snow Hill since 1991, $35K in all, or 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).

Is Snow Hill in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Worcester County, 23.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Snow Hill?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Snow Hill’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Snow Hill?

By FEMA money that reached Snow Hill, Hurricane Irene (2011): $20K to the Town of Snow Hill for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $8K.

Is Snow Hill at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Snow Hill’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Snow Hill.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Snow Hill’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.