Kent County, Maryland
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 24029 · population 19,162 · 277 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 817 records for Kent County, Maryland from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 675 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (222 records). 488 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The most damaging was the September 19, 2003 storm surge/tide ($16.0 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 21 declarations naming the county since 1972, 19 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.
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
- 817on 675 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 013 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $23Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 4strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 21latest 2026
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 Kent County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 222 since 1968. 50% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1968 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Maryland'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 222 | 155 | 1968-2026 | 0 | 2 | $126K | 7 of 23 |
| Winter storms | 154 | 153 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $201K | 3 of 23 |
| High wind and dust storms | 111 | 110 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 0 | $832K | 2 of 23 |
| Heat | 81 | 81 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 3 | – | 3 of 23 |
| Drought | 61 | 61 | 1997-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 23 |
| Heavy rain | 53 | 45 | 1996-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 23 |
| Floods | 32 | 29 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $3.4M | 19 of 23 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 28 | 26 | 1998-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 23 |
| Extreme cold | 27 | 27 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 of 23 |
| Hail | 18 | 15 | 1975-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 17 of 23 |
| Lightning | 16 | 15 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 8 | $59K | 4 of 23 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 5 | 2003-2020 | 0 | 0 | $17M | 9 of 23 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 4 | 1950-1990 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 22 of 23 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 3 | 3 | 2008-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 23 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2002-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 23 |
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 Kent County had?
NOAA records 4 tornadoes in Kent County from 1950 to 1990, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 5 tornadoes whose track touched Kent County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 4: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Maryland.
Every tornado record filed for Kent County (4)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-05-13 | Kent County | F0 0.1 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1989-11-16 | Kent County | F1 4 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1975-07-14 | Kent County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1950-08-11 | Kent County | F1 6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Kent County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 8, 2025 lightning ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindRock Hall, Kent County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindGalena, Kent County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindMillington, Kent County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindChestertown, Kent County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindBetterton, Kent County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindRock Hall, Kent County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-11 | Thunderstorm WindFairlee, Kent County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Winter WeatherKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-14 | Winter WeatherKent County · forecast zone Kent | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-28 | LightningGalena, Kent County Three farm workers were struck and injured by lightning in Galena. They were entering a van at a nursery as the lightning struck. All three were taken to the hospital, but only one person was seriously injured. | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 1999-07-23 | HeatKent County · forecast zone Kent A protracted run of days with consecutive high temperatures of 90 degrees or higher started along the Eastern Shore on July 23rd. It lasted as long as 16 days in some areas through August 7th. Dispersed within this run were two periods of both excessive heat and humidity: from July 23rd through July 25th and again ... | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2005-07-20 | LightningWorton, Kent County Two eleven-year-old boys were struck by lightning at a YMCA Camp Tockwogh in Worton. One was critically injured and the second was seriously injured. Counselors were clearing a lacrosse field when the boys were struck by the lightning. The two boys were close enough to the lightning strike to be injured. One boy went ... | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 1991-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindKent County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2000-07-14 | LightningRock Hall, Kent County A severe thunderstorm dropped hail as large as walnuts in the Rock Hall and Piney Neck areas of Kent County and damaged crops. One farm lost 30 percent of its 90 acre soybean crop and the farm's corn crop looked as though it went through a shredder. The severe thunderstorm also tore down branches in the county. ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 1999-05-24 | LightningChestertown, Kent County Lightning struck and injured one person in Chestertown. | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 1998-06-12 | LightningRock Hall, Kent County Thunderstorms with frequent lightning moved through Cecil and Kent Counties during the late evening of the 12th. In Kent County, a boat was struck by lightning and one person was injured. Heavy rain contributed to numerous accidents in the county. In Cecil County, a lightning strike to the tower temporarily knocked ... | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-09-19 | Storm Surge/TideKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | $16M | |
| 1999-09-16 | Flash FloodCountywide, Kent County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2012-10-29 | FloodSassafras, Kent County | 0 | 0 | $771K | |
| 2011-08-27 | Tropical StormKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | $722K | |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindKent County · forecast zone Kent | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $386K |
| 2025-07-08 | LightningKennedyville, Kent County | 0 | 0 | $10K |
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: November 16, 1989 (tornado, Kent County); May 13, 1990 (tornado, Kent 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 Kent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 61 | 47 | 82 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 14 | 56 | 60 | 24 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 15 | 62 | 34 | 0 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 25 | 31 | 19 | 6 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 20 | 31 | 10 | 0 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 21 | 20 | 12 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
50% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1968 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 107 · Feb 105 · Mar 67 · Apr 41 · May 47 · Jun 85 · Jul 112 · Aug 97 · Sep 34 · Oct 28 · Nov 26 · Dec 68 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Kent County
FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include Kent County: 14 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (7) and snowstorm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3634 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-03-26 | DR-4491 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3430 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2016-03-04 | DR-4261 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2012-11-20 | DR-4091 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-10-28 | EM-3349 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-08-02 | DR-4075 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2011-09-16 | DR-4034 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-08-27 | EM-3335 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2010-05-06 | DR-1910 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms |
| 2010-02-19 | DR-1875 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3251 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-09-19 | DR-1492 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel |
| 2003-03-14 | EM-3179 | Severe Storm | Snow |
| 2000-04-10 | DR-1324 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 1999-09-24 | DR-1303 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1996-01-11 | DR-1081 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3100 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1977-01-26 | DR-524 | Snowstorm | Ice Conditions |
| 1975-10-04 | DR-489 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1972-06-23 | DR-341 | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes |
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 Kent County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 32 flood or flash flood records for Kent County from 1996 to 2024, on 29 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Kent County ranks 683rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sandy | 2012-10-29 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Irene | 2011-08-27 | 2 | 0 |
| Hurricane Isabel | 2003-09-19 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999-09-16 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $8.9 million on 341 claims filed in Kent County; the most in one year was 250 in 2003. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 5 · 1979: 16 · 1980: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1985: 4 · 1986: 1 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 7 · 1999: 11 · 2003: 250 · 2004: 3 · 2010: 5 · 2011: 12 · 2012: 7 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2024: 11; 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 Kent County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kent County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $1.9M | 6.2 modeled event-days a year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $399K | 36 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $2.0M | once in about 14 years (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Low | $474K | 3.7 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $414K | 5.5 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $53K | 8.5 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $395K | 7.1 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $36K | about once a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Kent 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 MarylandEvery Maryland tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in MarylandThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Maryland recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Kent CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Kent County's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis