St. Mary's County, Maryland

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 24037 · population 113,699 · 359 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,060 records for St. Mary's County, Maryland from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 664 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (345 records). The deadliest single record is the July 20, 1998 heat, filed for the forecast zone St. Mary's, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1977, 16 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
1,060on 664 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
3168 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$176Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
34strongest F2
FEMA declarations
18latest 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 St. Mary's County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 345 since 1963. 61% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1963 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.

St. Mary's County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 345 184 1963-2026 0 9 $7.9M 11 of 23
Floods 240 136 1996-2024 0 0 $1.8M 2 of 23
Winter storms 104 103 1996-2026 0 0 $26K 17 of 23
Hail 80 52 1962-2025 0 0 $23K 4 of 23
Heat 80 80 1996-2025 2 0 – 6 of 23
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 53 51 1997-2021 0 0 – 8 of 23
Tornadoes 34 28 1967-2025 0 4 $11M 2 of 23
High wind and dust storms 33 32 1996-2026 0 1 $7.1M 14 of 23
Extreme cold 32 30 1998-2026 0 0 $5K 14 of 23
Heavy rain 23 23 1997-2006 0 0 – 12 of 23
Lightning 16 10 1996-2008 0 0 $1.0M 11 of 23
Drought 12 12 1998-2007 0 0 $3.0M 8 of 23
Hurricanes and tropical storms 8 7 1996-2020 1 154 $144M 7 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 St. Mary's County had?

NOAA records 34 tornadoes in St. Mary's County from 1967 to 2025, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 4 injuries recorded in the county. That is 2nd of 23 Maryland counties and 118th of 3,080 U.S. 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 34 tornadoes whose track touched St. Mary's County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 34, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Maryland.

Every tornado record filed for St. Mary's County (34)
Every tornado recorded in St. Mary's County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-07-01 Abells Wharf, St. Mary's County EF1 0.98 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K
2022-06-08 Forest Hall, St. Mary's County EF0 3.01 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $101K
2022-05-27 Oaks, St. Mary's County EF1 2.82 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $101K
2020-08-04 Tall Timbers, St. Mary's County EF0 5.24 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2020-08-04 Scotland, St. Mary's County EF0 1.47 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2016-02-24 White Pt Beach, St. Mary's County EF0 6.55 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2015-06-27 Mills Pt Shrs, St. Mary's County EF1 12.22 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $12K
2014-02-21 Compton, St. Mary's County EF0 18 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $6K
2013-06-13 Sotterley, St. Mary's County EF0 1.8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $13K
2013-06-13 Oakley, St. Mary's County EF0 13.83 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $6K
2013-06-10 Colton, St. Mary's County EF0 0.25 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $2K
2012-07-15 Colton, St. Mary's County EF0 0.05 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $13K
2011-09-07 Chingville, St. Mary's County EF0 0.98 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2011-08-25 Lnrdtwn St Marys Arp, St. Mary's County EF0 3.41 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $7K
2011-08-25 Patuxent River, St. Mary's County EF0 0.05 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-28 Abells Wharf, St. Mary's County EF1 3.37 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $46K
2006-06-27 Chaptico, St. Mary's County F0 3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $1.5M
2004-07-14 California, St. Mary's County F1 3 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $8K
2003-05-07 Oakville, St. Mary's County F0 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $40K
2003-05-07 Thompson Corner, St. Mary's County F0 0.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $40K
2001-05-22 St Inigoes, St. Mary's County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $2K
2000-07-31 Hollywood, St. Mary's County F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $2K
1996-07-13 California, St. Mary's County F1 1.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $188K
1995-11-11 Patuxent River, St. Mary's County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $10K
1995-11-11 Hollywood, St. Mary's County F0 0.8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $145K
1995-10-27 Patuxent, St. Mary's County F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1995-10-05 White Point Beach, St. Mary's County F1 0.75 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $10K
1995-08-06 Naval Air Station, St. Mary's County F0 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1995-07-27 St. Mary's County F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $29K
1984-05-08 St. Mary's County F1 1 mi x 60 yd 0 1 $250K step
1984-05-08 St. Mary's County F1 3 mi x 80 yd 0 3 $2.5M step
1983-10-13 St. Mary's County F2 3 mi x 37 yd 0 0 $25K step
1979-09-05 St. Mary's County F1 17.8 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1967-01-27 St. Mary's County F1 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 St. Mary's County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 22, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for St. Mary's County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindMechanicsville, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindLeonardtown, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindCalifornia, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindDrumcliff, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindGolden Beach, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindHunterville, St. Mary's County 56 kt wind 0 0 $50K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindAvenue, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindOaks, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-04-01 Thunderstorm WindLnrdtwn St Marys Arp, St. Mary's County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-03-16 Thunderstorm WindLeonardtown, St. Mary's County 56 kt wind 0 0 $20K
2026-02-22 Winter StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 0 0 –
2026-02-07 High WindSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 50 kt wind 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

Records with deaths or injuries in St. Mary's County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-07-20 HeatSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's After an unusually pleasant start to the month, a singular heat wave affected much of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay during the climatological peak of highest annual temperatures. The heat wave, caused by the combination of hot and humid air associated with "Bermuda" high pressure and increasingly dry ground, ... 2 0 –
2020-08-04 Tropical StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's Tropical Storm Force winds observed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station ASOS (KNHK) with sustained winds of 40 mph at 8:04 AM EST, and a peak wind gust of 58 mph at 9:12 AM EST. Also observed at St. Indigoes MD ASOS (KNUI) with sustained winds of 30 mph at 7:53 AM EST, and a peak wind gust of 52 mph at 8:35 AM EST. ... 1 0 $855K
2003-09-18 Tropical StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's On September 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabel made landfall on the North Carolina Coast. Its huge wind field was already piling water up into the southern Chesapeake Bay. By the time Isabel moved into central Virginia, it had weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm. Isabel's eye tracked well west of the bay, but the ... 0 154 $138M
1994-08-17 Thunderstorm WindCompton, St. Mary's County Thunderstom winds destroyed a two story house under construction in Compton. It tossed a 500-600 pound utility trailer a couple hundred yards and tossed some lumber around. 0 5 –
1987-07-03 Thunderstorm WindSt. Mary's County 0 3 –
1984-05-08 TornadoSt. Mary's County F1 3 mi x 80 yd 0 3 $2.5M step
2009-07-19 Dust DevilValley Lee, St. Mary's County Patio furniture was damaged and a woman was injured in Valley Lee due to a dust devil. 0 1 $1K
2001-05-22 Thunderstorm WindClements, St. Mary's County Trees were downed. On downed tree significantly damaged a mobile home and injured someone inside. 0 1 $67K

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.

The costliest records in St. Mary's County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2003-09-18 Tropical StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 0 154 $138M
2011-08-27 Tropical StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 0 0 $5.0M
2006-09-01 High WindSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 55 kt wind 0 0 $4.8M
2012-10-29 High WindSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 56 kt wind 0 0 $1.8M
2006-06-27 TornadoChaptico, St. Mary's County F0 3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $1.5M
2020-08-04 Tropical StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 1 0 $855K
1998-02-04 Coastal FloodSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's 0 0 $453K
2008-06-04 LightningPark Hall, St. Mary's County 0 0 $343K

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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 8, 1984 (tornado, St. Mary's 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 St. Mary's 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).

St. Mary's County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind04413247312899
Floods––––71712096
Winter storms––––10245416
Hail040514221916
Heat––––8173421
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds––––1152710

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

61% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1963 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 67 · Feb 82 · Mar 58 · Apr 68 · May 72 · Jun 178 · Jul 221 · Aug 109 · Sep 70 · Oct 54 · Nov 37 · Dec 44 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for St. Mary's County

FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include St. Mary's County: 12 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and snowstorm (5).

Declarations including St. Mary's County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3634Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2021-02-04DR-4583HurricaneTropical Storm Isaias
2020-03-26DR-4491BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3430BiologicalCovid-19
2012-11-20DR-4091HurricaneHurricane Sandy
2012-10-28EM-3349HurricaneHurricane Sandy
2012-08-02DR-4075Severe StormSevere Storms and Straight-Line Winds
2011-09-16DR-4034HurricaneHurricane Irene
2011-08-27EM-3335HurricaneHurricane Irene
2010-05-06DR-1910SnowstormSevere Winter Storms and Snowstorms
2005-09-13EM-3251HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-09-19DR-1492HurricaneHurricane Isabel
2000-04-10DR-1324Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
1999-09-24DR-1303HurricaneHurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations
1996-01-11DR-1081SnowstormBlizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)
1994-03-16DR-1016SnowstormSevere Winter Weather and Ice Storms
1993-03-16EM-3100SnowstormSevere Snowfall & Winter Storm
1977-01-26DR-524SnowstormIce Conditions

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 St. Mary's County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 240 flood or flash flood records for St. Mary's County from 1996 to 2024, on 136 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), St. Mary's County ranks 445th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on St. Mary's County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Tropical Storm Isaias2020-08-0411
Hurricane Irene2011-08-2710
Hurricane Isabel2003-09-1810
Hurricane Floyd1999-09-1610

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $11.2 million on 613 claims filed in St. Mary's County; the most in one year was 265 in 2003. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 4 · 1983: 1 · 1985: 18 · 1988: 1 · 1992: 1 · 1994: 1 · 1996: 31 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 7 · 1999: 11 · 2003: 265 · 2004: 2 · 2006: 121 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 7 · 2009: 6 · 2010: 12 · 2011: 24 · 2012: 8 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 11 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 27 · 2021: 27 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 1; 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 St. Mary's County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Mary's County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $22.5 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.

National Risk Index ratings for St. Mary's County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$6.4Monce in about 8 years (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.0M3.6 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$1.4M4.7 a year (modeled)
Coastal FloodingRelatively Moderate$1.1M3.6 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$1.4M6.3 modeled event-days a year
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$143K6.5 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Low$490K38 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$167Konce in about 2 years (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with St. Mary's County

  1. St. Mary's County 1,060
  2. Charles County 1,022
  3. Calvert County 774
  4. Dorchester County 446
  5. Westmoreland County, VA 332
  6. Northumberland County, VA 318
  7. Somerset County 293

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next