PlainHazard

Maine heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 16 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 218 heat records in Maine from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 21 a year since 2000. Maine ranks 35th of 51 states and territories by count and 35th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Maine, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
2181996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
21average
Deaths
00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
199854 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Maine?

Maine averages about 21 heat records a year since 2000, 35th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1998 (54). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Maine records 71 heat records since 1996, 35th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 35. Maine 71

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Maine have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Hancock County leads Maine: 23 days with a heat record since 1996, 14.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Penobscot County has the most heat records (59 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Hancock County 14.5 (37)
  2. Washington County 8.6 (39)
  3. Penobscot County 7.9 (59)
  4. Sagadahoc County 7.9 (2)
  5. Androscoggin County 6.4 (3)
  6. Knox County 5.5 (2)
  7. Lincoln County 4.4 (2)
  8. Piscataquis County 4.0 (19)
  9. Cumberland County 3.6 (6)
  10. York County 3.0 (6)
  11. Waldo County 2.7 (4)
  12. Kennebec County 2.3 (2)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Maine?

57% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (81 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 24 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 37 · Jul 43 · Aug 81 · Sep 3 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 30 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Maine?

Maine's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Maine and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeMaineUnited StatesMaine's share
1996-99544,3551.2%
2000s09,1630
2010s3116,4450.2%
2020-2613326,7960.5%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Maine

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-08-13 HeatHancock County · forecast zone Interior Hancock 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatHancock County · forecast zone Interior Hancock 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatWashington County · forecast zone Central Washington 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatPenobscot County · forecast zone Southern Penobscot 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatPenobscot County · forecast zone Central Penobscot 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatPiscataquis County · forecast zone Southern Piscataquis 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatPenobscot County · forecast zone Northern Penobscot 0 0 –
2025-08-13 HeatAroostook County · forecast zone Northeast Aroostook 0 0 –
2025-08-12 HeatWashington County · forecast zone Central Washington 0 0 –
2025-08-12 HeatHancock County · forecast zone Interior Hancock 0 0 –
2025-08-12 HeatPenobscot County · forecast zone Southern Penobscot 0 0 –
2025-08-12 HeatPiscataquis County · forecast zone Southern Piscataquis 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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