Maine winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 16 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 6,207 winter storm records in Maine from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 201 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 24, 1998 winter weather in Hancock County: 2 deaths and $5.4 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 4 records. Maine ranks 23rd of 51 states and territories by count and 14th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Maine, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm 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
- 6,2071996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 201average
- Deaths
- 657 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $507Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2001363 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 winter storm records common in Maine?
Maine averages about 201 winter storm records a year since 2000, 23rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2001 (363). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Maine records 2012 winter storm records since 1996, 14th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, Sagadahoc County leads Maine: 165 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 649.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Aroostook County has the most winter storm records (740 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).
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 winter storm season in Maine?
49% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (1,593 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,593 · Feb 1,435 · Mar 1,187 · Apr 324 · May 32 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 69 · Nov 338 · Dec 1,229 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Maine?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-01-24 | Winter WeatherHancock County · forecast zone Coastal Hancock One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure that developed off the southern New England Coast combined with an area of low pressure moving eastward from the Ohio River Valley to bring a mixture of precipitation to the state. Heavy snow was followed by sleet and freezing rain in most sections of the state, and rain in coastal and downeast sections. ... | 2 | 0 | $5.4M | |
| 2013-02-17 | BlizzardAroostook County · forecast zone Northeast Aroostook Storm total snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches...along with blizzard conditions. Whiteout conditions contributed to a fatal traffic accident (M22VE) near Presque Isle during the morning of the 18th. The accident involved a pickup truck...an SUV...a snow plow and a logging truck. In addition to the ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1998-01-05 | Ice StormOxford County · forecast zone Southern Oxford One storm episode: 26 records in 16 places; the totals are the episode's. A severe ICE STORM hit sections of central and southern Maine from January 5 through January 9. One of the hardest hit areas stretched from Bridgton to Lewiston to Augusta to Waterville where ice accreted several inches thick on trees, power lines, and other exposed surfaces causing almost everyone in those areas to ... | 1 | 0 | $478M | |
| 2002-01-13 | Winter StormAroostook County · forecast zone Southeast Aroostook Low pressure organizing along the Mid-Atlantic coast during Saturday the 12th rapidly intensified while lifting through the Gulf of Maine to Nova Scotia from the 13th into the early morning hours of the 14th.Precipitation overspread the region early on the 13th. Across northern areas...precipitation remained snow ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2001-03-16 | Ice StormYork County · forecast zone Interior York A 51-year-old woman from South Berwick was killed when snow and ice slid off the high-pitched roof of her 2-story home and completely buried her. At the time, she was apparently shoveling snow off the outside deck when the snow and ice slid off the roof and fell 20 to 25 feet to the deck. | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Maine
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-01-05 | Ice StormOxford County · forecast zone Southern Oxford One storm episode: 26 records in 16 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $478M | |
| 2008-12-11 | Ice StormYork County · forecast zone Coastal York One storm episode: 11 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $18M | |
| 1998-01-24 | Winter WeatherHancock County · forecast zone Coastal Hancock One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $5.4M | |
| 2013-12-21 | Ice StormKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $3.2M | |
| 1996-01-12 | Heavy SnowKennebec County · forecast zone Kennebec | 0 | 0 | $941K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm 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.
| Decade | Maine | United States | Maine's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 825 | 32,893 | 2.5% |
| 2000s | 2,238 | 88,805 | 2.5% |
| 2010s | 1,730 | 103,626 | 1.7% |
| 2020-26 | 1,414 | 62,015 | 2.3% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Maine
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-20 | Winter WeatherFranklin County · forecast zone Northern Franklin | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | Winter WeatherPiscataquis County · forecast zone Central Piscataquis | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | Winter WeatherAroostook County · forecast zone Southeast Aroostook | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | Winter WeatherPenobscot County · forecast zone Northern Penobscot | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | Winter WeatherPiscataquis County · forecast zone Northern Piscataquis | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | Winter WeatherSomerset County · forecast zone Northern Somerset | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | SleetAroostook County · forecast zone Northeast Aroostook | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | SleetAroostook County · forecast zone Northwest Aroostook | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Winter WeatherWashington County · forecast zone Northern Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Winter WeatherPenobscot County · forecast zone Central Penobscot | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Winter WeatherPiscataquis County · forecast zone Southern Piscataquis | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Winter WeatherPiscataquis County · forecast zone Central 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.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Maine
FEMA has declared 22 disasters in Maine for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 11 were major disasters, the latest on May 24, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4785 | Severe Winter Storm | 2 |
| 2015-03-12 | DR-4208 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 4 |
| 2013-03-25 | DR-4108 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 6 |
| 2010-03-25 | DR-1891 | Severe Winter Storm | 5 |
| 2009-01-09 | DR-1815 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 7 |
| 2008-12-15 | EM-3298 | Severe Winter Storm | 6 |
| 2006-02-24 | EM-3265 | Snow | 1 |
| 2005-06-29 | DR-1591 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams | 13 |
| 2005-04-21 | EM-3210 | Record Snow | 3 |
| 2005-04-01 | EM-3209 | Snow | 9 |
| 2005-03-14 | EM-3206 | Record and/Or Near Record Snow | 13 |
| 2005-03-14 | EM-3205 | Record and/Or Near Record Snow | 2 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Sagadahoc County: the county's whole recordThe Maine county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MaineTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Maine3,024 records
- High wind and dust storms in Maine1,760 records
- Floods in Maine1,609 records