Flood & Hurricane Risk in Annapolis
Annapolis's honest hazard profile centers on real, documented, RECURRING tidal and nuisance flooding, not a distant hurricane-landfall risk: City Dock is now underwater approximately 50-60 days a year, up from just 3-4 days a year roughly 50 years ago, with a documented record of 18 days of NOAA-threshold high-tide flooding from May 2019 to April 2020 -- this record does not minimize it.
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Learn moreCity Dock Is Underwater 50-60 Days a Year Now -- Not a Rare Event
City Dock, the literal heart of downtown Annapolis, is now underwater approximately 50-60 days per year, up from just 3-4 days per year roughly fifty years ago -- one of Maryland's clearest, most concrete, most current examples of the state's own defining Chesapeake Bay hazard profile documented in marylandMarketManifest.js (sea levels up roughly 10 inches since 1950 statewide, tidal flooding up 178% since 2000).
A Real, Documented Flooding Record -- and a Steep, Multi-Decade Trend
Annapolis recorded a documented record of 18 days of NOAA-threshold high-tide flooding from May 2019 to April 2020 (up from a prior record of 12 days in 2018); separately, the city exceeded the nuisance-flood threshold on 63 days in 2017. Since 1969, nuisance flooding has increased more than 1,200% -- 38 flood days that year versus 52 in 2019 -- a real, steep, multi-decade trend, not a single anomalous year.
Projected to Get Meaningfully Worse Without Continued Mitigation
Without additional flood-management efforts, this flooding is projected to double or triple by 2030 and could reach as much as 180 days a year in some locations by 2050 -- a real, disclosed, and genuinely significant future trajectory this record states plainly rather than downplaying.
A Real, Substantial City Response: the ~$87.8-88 Million City Dock Resiliency Project
The City of Annapolis broke ground on an approximately $87.8-88 million City Dock Resiliency Project -- after real, disclosed public opposition and delays -- combining a raised dock walkway, a new flood wall, and a retractable/transparent barrier for a total of 8 feet of protection above current sea level. More than $47 million in federal funding has been committed since 2021, including a $35.5 million FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant, with an additional $3.46 million in funding announced more recently.
Storm Surge From Hurricanes and Nor'easters Is a Real, Elevated Secondary Risk
Per marylandMarketManifest.js, Annapolis carries real, elevated storm-surge exposure from hurricanes and nor'easters via the Chesapeake Bay -- but this record did not identify a documented history of direct hurricane landfall on the city itself. Annapolis carries no meaningful tornado or earthquake risk, consistent with the rest of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay region.
Key takeaways
- City Dock, the heart of downtown Annapolis, is now underwater approximately 50-60 days a year, up from just 3-4 days a year roughly 50 years ago.
- Annapolis recorded a documented record of 18 days of NOAA-threshold high-tide flooding May 2019-April 2020; nuisance flooding is up more than 1,200% since 1969.
- Without continued mitigation, flooding is projected to double or triple by 2030 and could reach 180 days/year in some locations by 2050.
- The City broke ground on an approximately $87.8-88 million City Dock Resiliency Project, funded in part by over $47 million in federal money since 2021.
- Storm surge from hurricanes/nor'easters is a real, elevated secondary risk via the Bay; Annapolis carries no meaningful tornado or earthquake risk.
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