Kennebec County, Maine
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 23011 · population 123,577 · 867 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 700 records for Kennebec County, Maine from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 497 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (188 records). The deadliest single record is the August 12, 2021 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone Kennebec, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1970, 23 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storm and Flooding” on January 30, 2024.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 700on 497 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 34 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $104Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 11strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 25latest 2024
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Kennebec County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 188 since 1996. 49% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The rank column places the county among Maine's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 188 | 185 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $91M | 7 of 16 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 164 | 90 | 1960-2026 | 1 | 0 | $370K | 5 of 16 |
| Floods | 110 | 75 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $7.3M | 5 of 16 |
| Hail | 98 | 53 | 1961-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 16 |
| High wind and dust storms | 56 | 56 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | $125K | 9 of 16 |
| Extreme cold | 26 | 25 | 1998-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 of 16 |
| Lightning | 21 | 19 | 1996-2010 | 1 | 4 | $699K | 6 of 16 |
| Drought | 19 | 19 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | 8 of 16 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 11 | 1956-1997 | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | 2 of 16 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 1998-1998 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 of 16 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 1996-1999 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 16 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 2 | 2008-2021 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 of 16 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 of 16 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Kennebec County had?
NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Kennebec County from 1956 to 1997, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 2nd of 16 Maine counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 11 tornadoes whose track touched Kennebec County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Maine.
Every tornado record filed for Kennebec County (11)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-06-21 | Rome, Kennebec County | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-07-08 | Monmouth, Kennebec County | F2 1.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $28K |
| 1972-07-10 | Kennebec County | F1 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1971-07-31 | Kennebec County | F2 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1968-07-01 | Kennebec County | F1 2.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-06-17 | Kennebec County | F1 1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1966-07-13 | Kennebec County | F1 0.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1963-07-01 | Kennebec County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1959-08-16 | Kennebec County | F1 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1958-07-19 | Kennebec County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1956-09-14 | Kennebec County | F1 18.7 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Kennebec County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 1, 2023 flood ($563,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
The Kennebec River came out of banks and on May 1 and caused significant flooding to several businesses between Augusta and Gardiner. The discharge measured at the USGS river gage in Sydney, just upstream of Augusta, had a 10 year peak flow of 113,000 cfs, which is tied as the third highest streamflow with June 1, 1984 and exceeded only by the flood of 1987 and 1936. The river crested at 20.3 feet in Augusta and 16.8 feet in Hallowell, just shy of the 18 foot stage for major flood level. The flooding was the result of a basin average of 4.5 inches, most of which ran off from nearly saturated ground conditions. The most significant impacts occurred in Gardiner along the confluence of the Cobbosseecontee Stream and the Kennebec River, both of which were running at flood levels. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1102177)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-28 | Thunderstorm WindAugusta State A, Kennebec County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | Thunderstorm WindAugusta State A, Kennebec County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | HailBelgrade, Kennebec County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-01 | DroughtKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-23 | Winter StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-02 | Winter StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-01 | DroughtKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-12 | Dense FogKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec Locally dense fog developed in the early morning hours in the Kennebec River Valley. The dense fog led to low visibilities which limited reaction time for motorists. At 0420 EST, the fog contributed to a single pedestrian being struck by a vehicle in the town of Monmouth, ME. The accident claimed a life (indirect ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindBelgrade Lakes, Kennebec County A severe thunderstorm passed through the Belgrade Lakes region on Wednesday afternoon, producing a wet microburst. Estimated wind speeds varied from 60 mph up to 90 mph. There was a concentrated damage swath about 2 miles long beginning along the eastern shore of long pond just north of Belgrade Village. The damage ... | 74 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $218K |
| 2005-06-12 | LightningRome, Kennebec County A Rhode Island man was struck and killed by lightning while fishing from a boat in Little North Pond in Rome. A second man on the boat was unharmed and tried to administer CPR, but was unable to revive the victim. The lightning also knocked out the boat's main motor, so a trolling motor had to be used to bring the ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-06-20 | LightningWaterville, Kennebec County A 20-year-old waitress was struck and injured by lightning when she went outside to roll up her car windows. | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2002-05-31 | LightningSidney, Kennebec County A line of severe thunderstorms moving through Maine produced severe winds that downed trees and power lines throughout the western part of the state. About 30,000 customers lost electrical service during the storms. Trees were reported down in Oxford, Franklin, and York Counties. A small tornado touched down in the ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2000-06-27 | LightningWinslow, Kennebec County Lightning struck a 16-year old girl as she stood inside the doorway of her home with her hand on the doorknob. She was taken to a nearby hospital for observation, and then released. | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2000-05-07 | LightningWinslow, Kennebec County Lightning struck a home in Winslow, causing damage to the home and a nearby water main. The lightning burned wires in the home, blew in a window, blew a softball-sized hole in the cellar floor, and cracked open an asphalt sidewalk, and damaged or destroyed electronic equipment in the home. A tenant, who was in the ... | 0 | 1 | $34K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-01-05 | Ice StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $89M | |
| 2005-04-28 | FloodKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2013-12-21 | Ice StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 1996-01-12 | Heavy SnowKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $941K | |
| 1997-04-16 | Flash FloodNorth Monmouth, Kennebec County | 0 | 0 | $643K | |
| 2023-05-01 | FloodAugusta, Kennebec County | 0 | 0 | $563K | |
| 2008-12-11 | Ice StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $366K | |
| 2005-04-03 | FloodKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $302K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 31, 1971 (tornado, Kennebec County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Kennebec County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 31 | 81 | 49 | 27 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 17 | 38 | 59 | 26 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 13 | 35 | 36 | 26 |
| Hail | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 34 | 30 | 6 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 22 | 28 | 4 | 2 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 8 | 16 | 0 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
49% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 82 · Feb 55 · Mar 50 · Apr 49 · May 24 · Jun 122 · Jul 90 · Aug 80 · Sep 23 · Oct 27 · Nov 22 · Dec 76 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Kennebec County
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Kennebec County: 19 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (9) and flood (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-30 | DR-4754 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2023-09-14 | EM-3598 | Hurricane | Hurricane Lee |
| 2023-07-06 | DR-4719 | Flood | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4522 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3444 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-01-02 | DR-4354 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2007-04-25 | DR-1693 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding |
| 2005-09-19 | EM-3256 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-06-29 | DR-1591 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams |
| 2005-03-14 | EM-3206 | Snowstorm | Record and/Or Near Record Snow |
| 2004-02-05 | DR-1508 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams |
| 2004-01-15 | EM-3190 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2003-05-14 | DR-1468 | Freezing | Severe Winter Cold and Frost |
| 2001-05-16 | DR-1371 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-04-28 | DR-1326 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams |
| 1999-11-18 | DR-1308 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1998-07-02 | DR-1232 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1998-01-13 | DR-1198 | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storms, Rains and High Winds |
| 1993-05-11 | DR-988 | Flood | Heavy Rain, Snowmelt, Ice Jams & Flooding |
| 1993-03-15 | EM-3099 | Snowstorm | Blizzards, Severe Winds & Snowfall, Coastal Storm |
| 1992-03-27 | DR-940 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Ice Jams & Flooding |
| 1991-08-28 | DR-915 | Hurricane | Hurricane Bob & Flooding |
| 1987-04-09 | DR-788 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1974-01-18 | DR-410 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1970-02-27 | DR-284 | Flood | Severe Storms, Ice Jams & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Kennebec County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 110 flood or flash flood records for Kennebec County from 1996 to 2024, on 75 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Kennebec County ranks 566th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $7.4 million on 441 claims filed in Kennebec County; the most in one year was 127 in 1987. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 10 · 1979: 44 · 1980: 1 · 1983: 39 · 1984: 29 · 1985: 2 · 1986: 22 · 1987: 127 · 1988: 4 · 1989: 3 · 1991: 2 · 1992: 2 · 1993: 15 · 1994: 4 · 1996: 6 · 1998: 4 · 1999: 3 · 2001: 1 · 2003: 6 · 2004: 2 · 2005: 19 · 2007: 4 · 2008: 6 · 2010: 11 · 2011: 2 · 2012: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2023: 51 · 2024: 3; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Kennebec County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kennebec County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $37.5 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | $1.3M | 21 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Very High | $2.5M | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.1M | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $5.8M | once in about 9 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $22M | 2.6 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $812K | 4.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $801K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.3M | once in about 602 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Kennebec County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in MaineEvery Maine tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in MaineThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Maine recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Kennebec CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Kennebec County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis