Maryland heat
Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 23 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,292 heat records in Maryland from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 41 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 2, 2002 heat: 21 deaths across 4 records. Maryland ranks 17th of 51 states and territories by count and 3rd of 50 per square mile.
Heat in Maryland, 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
- 1,2921996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 41average
- Deaths
- 130522 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $18Kas filed
- Busiest year
- 2002132 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 Maryland?
Maryland averages about 41 heat records a year since 2000, 17th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2002 (132). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Maryland records 1330 heat records since 1996, 3rd 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 Maryland have the most heat records?
Per square mile, Calvert County leads Maryland: 72 days with a heat record since 1996, 337.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Queen Anne's County has the most heat records (82 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 the heat season in Maryland?
67% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (609 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 53 · Feb 25 · Mar 45 · Apr 0 · May 43 · Jun 216 · Jul 609 · Aug 257 · Sep 9 · Oct 0 · Nov 15 · Dec 20 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest heat records in Maryland?
| Date | Record | Character | 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 | – | |
| 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 | – | |
| 2002-08-12 | HeatBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C) One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. High pressure sitting off the Atlantic coastline pumped hot and humid air into the region between August 12th and 19th. Temperatures soared well into the 90s during the afternoon each day and heat index values approached 100 degrees. At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, a record high temperature of 99 ... | 4 | 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.
Are heat 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.
| Decade | Maryland | United States | Maryland's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 239 | 4,355 | 5.5% |
| 2000s | 405 | 9,163 | 4.4% |
| 2010s | 483 | 16,445 | 2.9% |
| 2020-26 | 165 | 26,796 | 0.6% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent heat records in Maryland
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-25 | Excessive HeatTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-25 | Excessive HeatQueen Anne's County · forecast zone Queen Annes | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-25 | Excessive HeatKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-25 | Excessive HeatCaroline County · forecast zone Caroline | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | Excessive HeatQueen Anne's County · forecast zone Queen Annes | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | Excessive HeatKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-24 | Excessive HeatHarford County · forecast zone Southeast Harford | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-24 | Excessive HeatCalvert County · forecast zone Calvert | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-24 | Excessive HeatSt. Mary's County · forecast zone St. Mary's | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-24 | Excessive HeatCharles County · forecast zone Charles | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-24 | Excessive HeatPrince George's County · forecast zone Prince Georges | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-24 | Excessive HeatBaltimore County and Baltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore | 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.
Next
- Calvert County: the county's whole recordThe Maryland county with the most heat records per square mile
- Heat across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
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