Maine natural disasters

What natural disasters happen in Maine?

By NOAA's records, Maine's most frequent hazards are winter storm records (6,207), severe thunderstorm wind events (3,024), high wind and dust records (1,760); the deadliest are high wind and dust records (10 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Maine?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

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: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Maine

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: August 7, 1986 (tornado, York County); July 14, 1988 (tornado, Androscoggin County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Maine have the most records?

1. Aroostook County 2,010
2. Penobscot County 1,580
3. Cumberland County 1,360
4. Somerset County 1,343
5. Piscataquis County 1,232
6. York County 1,219
7. Oxford County 1,192
8. Washington County 1,101
9. Franklin County 903
10. Hancock County 824
11. Waldo County 717
12. Kennebec County 700

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Maine

• Androscoggin County588
• Aroostook County2,010
• Cumberland County1,360
• Franklin County903
• Hancock County824
• Kennebec County700
• Knox County396
• Lincoln County433
• Oxford County1,192
• Penobscot County1,580
• Piscataquis County1,232
• Sagadahoc County403
• Somerset County1,343
• Waldo County717
• Washington County1,101
• York County1,219

Billion-dollar disasters in Maine

NOAA counted 19 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Maine, led by winter storm (11). The most recent: Southern Tornado Outbreak and East Coast Storm (2024); East Coast Storm and Flooding (2023); Northeastern Winter Storm/Cold Wave (2023).

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Maine, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Maine

FEMA has made 71 declarations for Maine since 1954: 52 major disasters, 17 emergencies and 2 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are severe storm (25), flood (16), snowstorm (12).

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Maine

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $86.0 million on 5,537 claims in 16 Maine counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Maine's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Maine's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

1. Relatively Moderate 1
2. Relatively Low 11
3. Very Low 4

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

Next

• Tornadoes in MaineEvery recorded tornado in Maine: by year, month and county
• Floods in MaineEvery recorded flood in Maine: by year, month and county
• Hurricanes and tropical storms in MaineEvery recorded hurricane or tropical storm record in Maine: by year, month and county
• Winter storms in MaineEvery recorded winter storm record in Maine: by year, month and county
• Compare Maine with another stateSide by side: storm records per square mile, deaths per million, declarations
• How Maine ranks among the statesStates ranked by FEMA disaster declarations
• Look up a Maine county's hazard riskFEMA's rating for each hazard beside the county's record
• Download Maine's FEMA declarations (CSV)71 rows: every declaration in the state, for your own analysis