Maryland winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 24 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,573 winter storm records in Maryland from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 157 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 7, 1996 blizzard in Prince George's County: 2 deaths, 150 injuries and $75,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 3 records. Maryland ranks 30th of 51 states and territories by count and 4th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Maryland, 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
- 4,5731996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 157average
- Deaths
- 17217 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $30Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2014317 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 Maryland?
Maryland averages about 157 winter storm records a year since 2000, 30th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2014 (317). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Maryland records 4709 winter storm records since 1996, 4th 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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, Allegany County leads Maryland: 339 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 802.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Allegany County has the most winter storm records (492 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 Maryland?
66% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (1,606 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,606 · Feb 1,400 · Mar 619 · Apr 31 · May 2 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 19 · Nov 87 · Dec 809 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Maryland?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-01-07 | BlizzardPrince George's County · forecast zone Prince Georges One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. An historic winter storm, known as the "Blizzard of '96", crippled all of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay during the first full weekend of January. In general, snow totals were as follows: 20 inches in lower southern Maryland (MDZ016>018), 20 to 26 inches in central Maryland (MDZ009>011, 013), and 26 to 36 inches ... | 2 | 150 | $75K | |
| 2016-12-17 | Winter WeatherBaltimore County and Baltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore Icy roads on Interstate 95 resulted in a 55-car accident that lead to 12 injuries and 2 fatalities. | 2 | 12 | – | |
| 2015-01-18 | Winter WeatherHarford County · forecast zone Northwest Harford One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Areas of freezing rain, resulting in hazardous road conditions, occurred the morning of the 18th. High pressure over the northeast slowly retreated ahead of an approaching low pressure system, keeping northeast flow over the Mid-Atlantic for a good portion of the night on the 17th and allowing for surface temperatures ... | 2 | 9 | – | |
| 2003-02-14 | Winter StormMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A complex storm system produced copious amounts of wintery precipitation across Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay between the evening of the 14th and midday on the 18th. The first batch of precipitation fell between the evening of the 14th and the evening of the 15th in the form of light to moderate snow or rain. ... | 1 | 10 | $8.4M | |
| 2009-03-01 | Winter StormQueen Anne's County · forecast zone Queen Annes A winter storm occurred across the Eastern Shore from the late afternoon of the 1st into the late afternoon of the 2nd. About eight to twelve inches of snow fell across the region and caused a death in Queen Anne's County. A snow emergency was in effect for the state from the 1st into the 4th. The combination of ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2011-01-08 | Winter WeatherTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot A low pressure system that moved off the Virginia coast helped spread snow across Maryland on the 8th. Snowfall averaged 1 to 3 inches. Periods of snow began falling between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST on the 8th. The snow did mix with some sleet and rain in Caroline and Talbot Counties during the morning. Precipitation ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-12-26 | Winter WeatherTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot A major winter storm dropped moderate amounts of snow along the Maryland Eastern Shore as the region was near the western edge of the precipitation area. Accumulations averaged 3 to 6 inches with the highest amounts toward the Delaware state line. The storm did claim the life of an elderly woman in Talbot County who ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-12-21 | Winter WeatherAnne Arundel County · forecast zone Anne Arundel A car accident due to icy roads led to a fatality (indirect fatality) on the Baltimore Washington Parkway in Anne Arundel County. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2004-01-26 | Winter WeatherBaltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore An area of low pressure moved across the region on the 26th and 27th. This system produced a second round of freezing rain and snow. One to two additional inches of snow fell across the Baltimore Metropolitan area as well as one tenth inch of ice. Ice covered sidewalks and roadsides were blamed for the death of a ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2004-01-25 | Winter StormHarford County · forecast zone Harford An area of low pressure developed off the coast of North Carolina and moved north. This storm produced widespread snow, sleet and freezing drizzle over the region. Six to eight inches of snow fell across Maryland from Allegany to Anne Arundel County. The snow mixed with sleet and finally changed over to freezing ... | 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 Maryland
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-12-23 | Ice StormWicomico County · forecast zone Wicomico | 0 | 0 | $9.1M | |
| 2003-02-14 | Winter StormMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 10 | $8.4M | |
| 1999-01-14 | Ice StormMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery | 0 | 0 | $5.1M | |
| 2003-02-16 | Winter StormTalbot County · forecast zone Talbot One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $2.0M | |
| 2010-02-09 | Winter StormCecil County · forecast zone Cecil | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2002-10-29 | Ice StormAllegany County · forecast zone Allegany | 0 | 0 | $410K | |
| 2005-10-25 | Winter StormAllegany County · forecast zone Allegany | 0 | 1 | $378K | |
| 1996-01-07 | BlizzardPrince George's County · forecast zone Prince Georges One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 150 | $75K |
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 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 | 378 | 32,893 | 1.1% |
| 2000s | 1,259 | 88,805 | 1.4% |
| 2010s | 1,972 | 103,626 | 1.9% |
| 2020-26 | 964 | 62,015 | 1.6% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Maryland
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherGarrett County · forecast zone Eastern Garrett County Md | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherAllegany County · forecast zone Extreme Western Allegany | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherGarrett County · forecast zone Western Garrett County Md | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherKent County · forecast zone Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherHarford County · forecast zone Southeast Harford | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherCecil County · forecast zone Cecil | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherBaltimore County and Baltimore (city) · forecast zone Southern Baltimore | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherBaltimore County · forecast zone Northern Baltimore | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherHarford County · forecast zone Northwest Harford | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-03 | Winter WeatherCarroll County · forecast zone Carroll | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherGarrett County · forecast zone Western Garrett County Md | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherHoward County · forecast zone Central And Southeast Howard | 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 Maryland
FEMA has declared 11 disasters in Maryland 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); 8 were major disasters, the latest on January 24, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3634 | Severe Winter Storm | 24 |
| 2016-03-04 | DR-4261 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 19 |
| 2014-04-10 | DR-4170 | Snowstorm | 3 |
| 2010-05-06 | DR-1910 | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms | 22 |
| 2010-02-19 | DR-1875 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 12 |
| 2003-03-14 | EM-3179 | Snow | 20 |
| 2000-04-10 | DR-1324 | Severe Winter Storm | 15 |
| 1996-01-11 | DR-1081 | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) | 24 |
| 1994-03-16 | DR-1016 | Severe Winter Weather and Ice Storms | 9 |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3100 | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm | 24 |
| 1977-01-26 | DR-524 | Ice Conditions | 16 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Allegany County: the county's whole recordThe Maryland 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 MarylandTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Maryland8,467 records
- Floods in Maryland3,545 records
- Hail in Maryland1,580 records