Talbot County, Maryland
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 24041 · population 37,498 · 269 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 814 records for Talbot County, Maryland from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 669 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (203 records). 481 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 deadliest single record is the October 31, 1997 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone Talbot, which covers the county: 1 death and 30 injuries. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1972, 18 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
- 814on 669 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 549 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $16Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 5strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 20latest 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 Talbot County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 203 since 1965. 51% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1965 fell in July and August. 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 | 203 | 138 | 1965-2026 | 0 | 0 | $288K | 10 of 23 |
| Winter storms | 133 | 132 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 0 | $642K | 7 of 23 |
| High wind and dust storms | 114 | 113 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $572K | 1 of 23 |
| Heat | 82 | 82 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 5 | – | 2 of 23 |
| Heavy rain | 60 | 55 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 23 |
| Drought | 59 | 59 | 1997-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 23 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 42 | 38 | 1997-2026 | 1 | 38 | – | 9 of 23 |
| Floods | 35 | 30 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $9.5M | 17 of 23 |
| Extreme cold | 26 | 26 | 1996-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 of 23 |
| Hail | 24 | 22 | 1957-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 23 |
| Lightning | 20 | 19 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 6 | $2.2M | 2 of 23 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 6 | 5 | 2003-2020 | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | 8 of 23 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 5 | 1967-2000 | 0 | 0 | $473K | 20 of 23 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 3 | 3 | 2008-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 23 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2002-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 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 Talbot County had?
NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Talbot County from 1967 to 2000, the strongest rated F2, 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 4 tornadoes whose track touched Talbot County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5: 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 Talbot County (5)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-07-15 | Newcomb, Talbot County | F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 1995-05-18 | Cordova To, Talbot County | F2 10 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1978-06-27 | Talbot County | F1 0.3 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1975-05-06 | Talbot County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-07-28 | Talbot County | F1 3.3 mi x 20 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 Talbot 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindMatthews, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindEaston, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindOxford, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindQueen Anne, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindSkipton, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindWye Mills, Talbot County | 87 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-10 | Dense FogTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindBellevue, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindQueen Anne, Talbot County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindCordova, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindCordova, Talbot County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindWye Mills, Talbot County | 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-10-31 | Dense FogTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot A tractor trailer collided with a crowded school bus in patchy dense fog and killed the bus' 61-year-old male driver and injured 30 students. The bus was crossing U.S. Route 50 in Easton at 730 a.m. EST when it was hit on the driver's side, nearly severing it in half. The truck driver was charged with failure to grant ... | 1 | 30 | – | |
| 2011-01-08 | Winter WeatherTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot A low pressure system that moved off the Virginia coast helped spread snow across Maryland on the 8th. Snowfall averaged 1 to 3 inches. Periods of snow began falling between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST on the 8th. The snow did mix with some sleet and rain in Caroline and Talbot Counties during the morning. Precipitation ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-12-26 | Winter WeatherTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot A major winter storm dropped moderate amounts of snow along the Maryland Eastern Shore as the region was near the western edge of the precipitation area. Accumulations averaged 3 to 6 inches with the highest amounts toward the Delaware state line. The storm did claim the life of an elderly woman in Talbot County who ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-07-28 | HeatTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot Another hot and very humid air mass moved into the Maryland Eastern Shore on the 28th. In most areas this hot spell produced some of the highest heat indices of the summer as they reached between 105F and 110F during the afternoon of the 29th. A cold front moved through the region during the night of the 30th. While ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-07-01 | HeatTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot July started with unseasonably hot and humid weather across the Maryland Eastern Shore. The hottest and most humid weather occurred on Independence Day before a cold front quietly moved through the region during the night of the 4th. Highest temperatures were around 100 degrees and heat indices reached around 105 ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-06-25 | Dense FogTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot Some patchy dense fog caused several chain reaction accidents around the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and Maryland State Route 404. Six accidents that involved eighteen vehicles occurred within a 200 yard area and caused eight injuries and five hospitalizations. The worst accident involved a tractor trailer and five ... | 0 | 8 | – | |
| 1999-07-23 | HeatTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot 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 | 5 | – | |
| 1997-06-26 | LightningEaston, Talbot County A thunderstorm with frequent lightning started a fire that destroyed eight condominiums and damaged eight others in Easton. Five persons were injured, including two firefighters, and as many as 30 persons were left homeless. Damage was estimated at one million dollars. The lightning struck the roof of the wood-frame ... | 0 | 5 | $1.8M |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-09-16 | Flash FloodCountywide, Talbot County | 0 | 0 | $6.2M | |
| 1997-06-26 | LightningEaston, Talbot County | 0 | 5 | $1.8M | |
| 2011-08-28 | FloodBar Neck, Talbot County | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2012-10-29 | FloodCordova, Talbot County | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2012-08-26 | Flash FloodMatthews, Talbot County | 0 | 0 | $643K | |
| 2003-02-16 | Winter StormTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot | 0 | 0 | $642K | |
| 2011-08-27 | Tropical StormTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot | 0 | 0 | $328K | |
| 2001-07-01 | LightningRoyal Oak, Talbot County | 0 | 0 | $250K |
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 $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 28, 1967 (tornado, Talbot County); May 6, 1975 (tornado, Talbot County); June 27, 1978 (tornado, Talbot 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 Talbot 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 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 40 | 49 | 83 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 12 | 53 | 52 | 16 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 14 | 62 | 37 | 1 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 25 | 31 | 19 | 7 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 25 | 23 | 10 | 2 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 19 | 31 | 9 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
51% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1965 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 104 · Feb 104 · Mar 63 · Apr 31 · May 45 · Jun 79 · Jul 125 · Aug 102 · Sep 36 · Oct 35 · Nov 30 · Dec 60 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Talbot County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Talbot County: 13 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 |
| 2012-11-20 | DR-4091 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-10-28 | EM-3349 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 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) |
| 1994-03-16 | DR-1016 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Weather and Ice Storms |
| 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 Talbot County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 35 flood or flash flood records for Talbot County from 1996 to 2025, on 30 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Talbot County ranks 428th 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 $14.2 million on 677 claims filed in Talbot County; the most in one year was 437 in 2003. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 21 · 1980: 5 · 1983: 4 · 1985: 5 · 1988: 1 · 1991: 2 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 45 · 1998: 5 · 1999: 9 · 2000: 1 · 2003: 437 · 2004: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 4 · 2009: 3 · 2010: 14 · 2011: 16 · 2012: 25 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2021: 33 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 22 · 2026: 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 Talbot County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Talbot County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.9 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 Moderate | $1.2M | 3.8 modeled event-days a year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $3.0M | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.6M | 5.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 3.6 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $381K | 37 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $182K | once in about 696 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $81K | 7.4 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $489K | 6.1 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 Talbot 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 Talbot CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Talbot County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis