PlainHazard

Maryland drought

Every recorded drought record since 1996 · 22 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 450 drought records in Maryland from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 28 a year since 2000. The costliest was the July 1, 1997 drought ($80.3 million in 2025 dollars). Maryland ranks 35th of 51 states and territories by count and 11th of 50 per square mile.

Drought in Maryland, 1996 to 2026

Drought 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
4501996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
28average
Deaths
00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$140Mas filed
Busiest year
1999124 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 drought records common in Maryland?

Maryland averages about 28 drought records a year since 2000, 35th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1999 (124). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Maryland records 463 drought records since 1996, 11th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Hawaii 2624
  2. 2. New Jersey 1205
  3. 3. Delaware 1062
  4. 4. Oklahoma 971
  5. 5. Georgia 900
  6. 6. Texas 711
  7. 7. New Mexico 528
  8. 8. Alabama 527
  9. 9. Tennessee 477
  10. 10. Iowa 466
  11. 11. Maryland 463

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 Maryland have the most drought records?

Per square mile, Kent County leads Maryland: 61 days with a drought record since 1996, 220.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Queen Anne's County has the most drought records (62 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. Kent County 220.3 (61)
  2. Talbot County 219.7 (59)
  3. Caroline County 187.8 (60)
  4. Queen Anne's County 164.1 (62)
  5. Cecil County 150.2 (52)
  6. Calvert County 56.3 (12)
  7. Howard County 47.8 (12)
  8. St. Mary's County 33.5 (12)
  9. Anne Arundel County 28.9 (12)
  10. Montgomery County 26.4 (13)
  11. Washington County 26.2 (12)
  12. Charles County 26.2 (12)

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 drought season in Maryland?

Maryland's drought records by month. The busiest month is August (64 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 15 · Feb 15 · Mar 15 · Apr 24 · May 39 · Jun 38 · Jul 58 · Aug 64 · Sep 48 · Oct 62 · Nov 40 · Dec 32 (records).

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

The costliest drought records in Maryland

Maryland: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1997-07-01 DroughtFrederick County · forecast zone Frederick One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $80M
1999-08-01 DroughtMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $53M
1998-11-01 DroughtWicomico County · forecast zone Wicomico One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $3.6M
1998-11-01 DroughtBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Northern Baltimore One storm episode: 12 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $3.0M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are drought records becoming more frequent in Maryland?

Maryland'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.

Drought: Maryland and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeMarylandUnited StatesMaryland's share
1996-992295,6004.1%
2000s17918,5711.0%
2010s4231,4410.1%
2020-26030,1470

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent drought records in Maryland

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-08-01 DroughtMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery 0 0 $19M
1999-08-01 DroughtFrederick County · forecast zone Frederick 0 0 $16M
1999-08-01 DroughtWashington County · forecast zone Washington 0 0 $18M
1998-11-01 DroughtWicomico County · forecast zone Wicomico 0 0 $3.6M
1998-11-01 DroughtSomerset County · forecast zone Somerset 0 0 $3.6M
1998-11-01 DroughtDorchester County · forecast zone Dorchester 0 0 $3.6M
1998-11-01 DroughtBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore 0 0 $3.0M
1998-11-01 DroughtBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Northern Baltimore 0 0 $3.0M
1998-11-01 DroughtFrederick County · forecast zone Frederick 0 0 $3.0M
1998-11-01 DroughtWashington County · forecast zone Washington 0 0 $3.0M
1998-11-01 DroughtAllegany County · forecast zone Allegany 0 0 $3.0M
1998-11-01 DroughtHoward County · forecast zone Howard 0 0 $3.0M

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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