Maryland natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 6,173,474 · 24 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 25,037 storm events in Maryland since 1950, 23,687 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 425 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events (8,467). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest event in Maryland is the July 2, 2002 heat: 21 deaths across 4 records. FEMA has made 38 declarations for Maryland since 1962, 36 for natural hazards; 31 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Maryland 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 $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
1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
1996: all 48 event types from 1996

Storm events recorded: 25,0371950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 2411,668 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $2.4Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 4251950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 3831 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Maryland?

By NOAA's records, Maryland's most frequent hazards are severe thunderstorm wind events (8,467), winter storm records (4,573), floods and flash floods (3,545); the deadliest are heat records (130 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.

Maryland: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Severe thunderstorm wind	8,467	3,670	19	162	$162M	24 of 24
Winter storms	4,573	1,461	17	217	$30M	24 of 24
Floods	3,545	1,894	24	36	$375M	24 of 24
Hail	1,580	344	0	1	$3.1M	24 of 24
Heat	1,292	333	130	522	$18K	23 of 24
High wind and dust storms	1,292	156	6	40	$62M	24 of 24
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	1,141	435	3	38	$16K	22 of 24
Extreme cold	1,009	344	1	0	$2.9M	24 of 24
Heavy rain	744	165	4	35	$43K	24 of 24
Drought	450	0	0	0	$140M	22 of 24
Tornadoes	438	78	9	327	$668M	24 of 24
Lightning	313	36	12	85	$30M	24 of 24
Hurricanes and tropical storms	143	30	3	201	$949M	21 of 24
Rip currents and high surf	30	9	13	1	$41K	9 of 24
Wildfires	20	0	0	3	–	10 of 24

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 Maryland?

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.

Maryland: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2002-07-02	HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. High pressure remained stationary off the Delmarva coastline during the 1st week of July. This resulted in a prolonged period of hot and humid weather across the Mid Atlantic region. Between July 2nd and 4th, high temperatures rose into the lower to middle 90s and dew points reached into the lower 70s. This resulted ...	21	0	–
1999-07-04	HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. High pressure sat off the Mid-Atlantic coast from the 4th through the 7th, acting like a heat pump drawing in extremely warm and humid air. Temperatures on the 4th through early on the 7th were oppressively hot, and extremely humid conditions added to the misery. These conditions continued until a cold front swept ...	15	241	–
2018-07-03	Excessive HeatBaltimore County and Baltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper-level high along with surface high over the western Atlantic led to hot and humid conditions.	9	0	–
2002-08-01	HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. High pressure off the Atlantic Coast pumped hot and humid air into the Mid-Atlantic region. This caused high temperatures to reach between 92 and 100 degrees August 1st through the 5th. Dew points in the upper 60s to mid 70s forced heat indexes to soar to between 98 and 110 degrees. Seven residents of Baltimore County ...	7	0	–
2006-08-01	HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. Excessive heat conditions occurred on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, August 1-3, across much of Maryland. Afternoon heat index values ranged between 105 to as high as 115 degrees. Six people lost their lives in Central Maryland due to the excessive heat conditions during this heat wave. Five people, including one ...	6	5	–
2002-06-25	HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Very warm and moist air was ushered into the region by south winds during the last week of June. On the 25th and 26th, temperatures in the mid 90s combined with dew points near 70 to create heat index values between 100 and 110 degrees. A handful of people who were in non-air-conditioned environments, especially in ...	6	0	–
2006-06-27	Flash FloodCountywide, Frederick County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A weak cold front settled over the forecast area from June 23 until June 27. Waves of low pressure rode northeast along the front. Flow in the atmosphere was parallel to the boundary, producing several rounds of training echoes. As a result, double digit rainfall totals affected parts of the region through the five ...	5	1	$6.7M
2018-07-16	HeatBaltimore County and Baltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Upper-level high pressure nearby and surface high pressure to our south and east caused hot and humid conditions.	5	0	–
2013-07-18	HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. High pressure was located over much of the eastern United States and light southerly flow persisted all week which led to above normal temperatures and dew points in the mid 70s.	4	0	–
2018-07-17	HeatAnne Arundel County · forecast zone Anne Arundel One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A southerly flow caused hot and humid conditions.	4	0	–

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 Maryland

Maryland: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2003-09-18	Tropical StormBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore		0	0	$404M
2003-09-18	Tropical StormBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Northern Baltimore		1	0	$249M
2002-04-28	TornadoRison, Charles County	F4 24 mi x 650 yd	1	122	$187M
2001-09-24	TornadoHyattsville, Prince George's County	F3 11.5 mi x 200 yd	2	55	$167M
2003-09-18	Tropical StormSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's		0	154	$138M
2003-09-19	Storm Surge/TideQueen Anne's County · forecast zone Queen Annes		0	0	$59M
2018-05-15	Flash FloodFt Detrick, Frederick County		0	0	$51M
1996-01-19	FloodMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery		0	0	$38M

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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: October 18, 1990 (tornado, Baltimore 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 Maryland have the most records?

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 Maryland

Billion-dollar disasters in Maryland

NOAA counted 85 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Maryland, led by severe storm (38). The most recent: Hurricane Debby (2024); Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather (2024); Central and Northeast Severe Weather (2024).

Maryland: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Severe Storm	38	$2.0B-$5.0B
Winter Storm	16	$2.0B-$5.0B
Tropical Cyclone	15	$5.0B-$10.0B
Drought	10	$2.0B-$5.0B
Flooding	5	$250M-$500M
Freeze	1	$5M-$100M

Every one of the 85, newest first

Hurricane Debby2024
Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather2024
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Northeastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2024
Southern Tornado Outbreak and East Coast Storm2024
Southern/Eastern/Northwestern Drought and Heat Wave2024
East Coast Storm and Flooding2023
Northeastern and Eastern Severe Weather2023
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2022
Southeast Tornado Outbreak2022
Southern Tornado Outbreak2022
Hurricane Ida2021
Tropical Storm Fred2021
North Central Severe Weather2021
Tropical Storm Elsa2021
Eastern Severe Weather2021
Hurricane Isaias2020
Central, Southern and Eastern Severe Weather2020
Southeast and Eastern Tornado Outbreak2020
North Central and Ohio Valley Hail Storms and Severe Weather2020
South, East and Northeast Severe Weather2020
Southeast, Ohio Valley and Northeast Severe Weather2019
Hurricane Michael2018
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2018
Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Northeast Winter Storm2018
Central and Eastern Winter Storm2018
Southeast Severe Weather and Tornadoes2017
Central/Southeast Tornado Outbreak2017
Rockies and Northeast Severe Weather2016
South/Southeast Tornadoes2016
Southeast and Eastern Tornadoes2016
South Carolina and East Coast Flooding2015
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2015
Central and Eastern Winter storm, Cold Wave2015
Michigan and Northeast Flooding2014
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Tornadoes and Flooding2014
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm2014
Hurricane Sandy2012
Plains/East/Northeast Derecho2012
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
Tropical Storm Lee2011
Hurricane Irene2011
Southern Plains/Southwest Drought and Heat Wave2011
Midwest/Northeast Severe Storms and Flooding2010
Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas Tornadoes and Severe Weather2010
Northeast Winter Storm2010
Southeast/Ohio Valley Severe Weather2009
U.S. Drought2008
Western/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave2007
East/South Severe Weather and Flooding2007
Northeast Flooding2006
Hurricane Jeanne2004
Hurricane Ivan2004
Hurricane Isabel2003
Severe Storms and Tornadoes2002
U.S. Drought2002
Hurricane Floyd1999
Eastern Drought/Heat Wave1999
Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
Northern Plains and Great Lakes Derecho, Tornadoes1998
Hurricane Fran1996
Blizzard/Floods1996
Central, Southern and Northeast Drought/Heat Wave1995
Southeast Ice Storm1994
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1994
Southeast Drought and Heat Wave1993
East Coast Blizzard and Severe Weather1993
Northeast Winter Storm1992
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave1988
Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland Flooding1985
Hurricane Gloria1985
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1985
Tornadoes, Severe Storms, Floods1984
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Maryland, 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 Maryland

FEMA has made 38 declarations for Maryland since 1962: 31 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are flood (10), hurricane (9), severe storm (8).

1960s 1
1970s 6
1980s 2
1990s 6
2000s 6
2010s 13
2020s 4

The 15 most recent declarations in Maryland
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-01-24	EM-3634	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	24
2021-02-04	DR-4583	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Isaias	3
2020-03-26	DR-4491	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	24
2020-03-13	EM-3430	Biological	Covid-19	24
2018-07-02	DR-4376	Flood	Severe Storm and Flooding	2
2018-06-25	DR-4374	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Flooding	2
2016-09-16	DR-4279	Flood	Severe Storm and Flooding	1
2016-03-04	DR-4261	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm	19
2014-04-10	DR-4170	Severe Storm	Snowstorm	3
2012-11-20	DR-4091	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	24
2012-10-28	EM-3349	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	24
2012-08-02	DR-4075	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds	6
2011-10-05	DR-4038	Flood	Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee	7
2011-09-16	DR-4034	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	15
2011-08-27	EM-3335	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	23

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

Flood insurance claims in Maryland

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $340 million on 20,800 claims in 24 Maryland 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 Maryland's counties

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

Relatively High 1
Relatively Moderate 4
Relatively Low 13
Very Low 6

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