Knox County, Maine severe weather history spans 95 recorded events between 1969 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,902 nationally and #15 in Maine.
95
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$5.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Knox County, Maine severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Knox County, Maine severe weather history averages 1.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 42 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 92 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $4.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Knox County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 38 | 0 | $0 | 60 | 1987–2024 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $4.4M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $0 | 1.25 | 1986–2019 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $531K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $381K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $38K | 0 | 1997–1999 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 1969–1969 |
Decade by decade
Knox County, Maine severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 0 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Knox County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 1996 | Flash Flood | CAMDEN | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Jul 4, 2002 | Lightning | ROCKLAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain with reports up to 6.5 inches fell in a short period of time lead to excessive run-off with numerous roads closed and damaged due to flooding in Knox County. The towns that were hardest hit included Appleton, Camden, Hope, Rockland, Rockport and Thomaston.
Widespread and numerous flooded roads across Knox County. Coastal flooding was concurrent with the heavy rainfall and increased the impacts. Roads that were flooded include Route 1 in Camden, Route 105 in Hope and Washington, Route 126 in Jefferson, and Route 131 near Campground Road in Appleton.
Heavy rain caused serious county-wide flooding in Knox County as small rivers and streams flooded. Some of the most serious damaged occurred in the towns of Appleton, South Thomaston, Union, Warren, and Washington. The town of Union was hit the hardest with $180,400.00 of damage reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,003
Population (ACS)
$325K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 14, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Jul 6, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 22, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 15, 2022 | Coastal Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Knox County, Maine?
95 events are on record between 1969 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Knox County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 38 recorded events — 40.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Knox County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 0 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Knox County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Knox County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Knox County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Knox County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Knox County, Maine severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Kennebec County 377
- Lincoln County 120
- Hancock County 136
- Oxford County 564
- Franklin County 285
- Penobscot County 574
Cite this page
“Knox County, Maine.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maine/knox-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.