Photo: Beltway Photos · CC BY 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in McLean than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McLean gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #103 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1985.
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
What stands out about McLean’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What McLean 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
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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.
What’s behind McLean’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in McLean, and McLean’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A #103 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
McLean’s residents live in 15 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Virginia town has lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, McLean has less expected damage per building than 60% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.0M a year in losses across McLean: $12.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does McLean flood? Sometimes: 57 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in McLean, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida5 claims · $87K
- Hurricane Isabel1 claim · $13K
- Hurricane Gloria1 claim · $2K
McLean isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fairfax County.The storms McLean remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching McLean itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201926 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20216 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20015 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fairfax County has had 16 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.
Old photos of McLean after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the McLean archive →McLean and its neighbors
McLean is 9th of the 11 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tysons | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Idylwood | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Potomac | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Brookmont | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cabin John | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Pimmit Hills | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Arlington | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 123 |
| Falls Church | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| McLean | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Great Falls | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Wolf Trap | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what McLean faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in McLean
Is McLean at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McLean has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #103 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does McLean flood?
Flood insurance has paid 57 claims in McLean since 1985, $1.3M in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (5).
Is McLean 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 Fairfax County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McLean?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McLean’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 McLean?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 5 paid, $87K.
Is McLean at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and McLean’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McLean.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McLean’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.