Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Wolf Trap faces less hazard damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wolf Trap gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #128 of 253 in Virginia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1984.
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 Wolf Trap 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
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 Wolf Trap’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wolf Trap, and Wolf Trap’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #128 of 253 in Virginia; lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wolf Trap’s residents live in 6 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, Wolf Trap has more expected damage per building than 50% of Virginia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Wolf Trap: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wolf Trap flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wolf Trap, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $43K
Wolf Trap 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 Wolf Trap remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Fairfax County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wolf Trap itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20212 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Fairfax County
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 Wolf Trap after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wolf Trap archive →Wolf Trap and its neighbors
Wolf Trap is 9th of the 9 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 |
| Reston | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Great Falls Crossing | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oakton | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| McLean | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Difficult Run | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Great Falls | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Vienna | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| 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 Wolf Trap 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.
- 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 Wolf Trap
Is Wolf Trap at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wolf Trap has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #128 of 253 in Virginia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wolf Trap flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Wolf Trap since 1984, $80K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Wolf Trap 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 Wolf Trap?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wolf Trap’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 Wolf Trap?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $43K.
Is Wolf Trap at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Wolf Trap’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wolf Trap.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wolf Trap’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.