Penobscot County, Maine severe weather history spans 574 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #652 nationally and #3 in Maine.
574
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$5.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Penobscot County, Maine severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Penobscot County, Maine severe weather history averages 8.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 213 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 530 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $5.1M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Penobscot County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 375 | 0 | $0 | 79 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 113 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1958–2024 |
| Flood | 42 | 0 | $5.1M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $265K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $308K | F2 | 1953–2017 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Penobscot County, Maine severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Penobscot County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2023 | Lightning | ARNOLD CORNER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPRINGFIELD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 18, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K | |
| Jun 6, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain which fell in late April…the influx of water from tributary rivers and the melting of snow in headwater areas led to flooding of the Penobscot River at Eddington. The river crested at around 1.50 feet above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland areas bordering the river. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county from the late April and early May flooding.
A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain which fell in late April…the influx of water from tributary rivers and the melting of snow in headwater areas led to flooding of the Penobscot River at West Enfield. The river crested at slightly over 3.5 feet above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland areas bordering the river. This was a continuation of flooding which began in late April. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county from the late April and early May flooding.
A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain which fell in late April and the melting of a record snowpack led to flooding along the East Branch of the Penobscot River at Grindstone. The river crested around 2 feet above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland areas bordering the river along with portions of Route 11. This was a continuation of flooding which began in late April. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county from the late April and early May flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
154,710
Population (ACS)
$214K
Median home value
71
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 14, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Penobscot County, Maine?
574 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Penobscot County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 375 recorded events — 65.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Penobscot County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Penobscot County?
71 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Penobscot County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Penobscot County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Penobscot County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Penobscot 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
- Oxford County 564
- Piscataquis County 331
- Lincoln County 120
- Sagadahoc County 89
- Knox County 95
- Somerset County 465
Cite this page
“Penobscot County, Maine.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maine/penobscot-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.