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Howard County, Maryland severe weather history spans 608 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #567 nationally and #11 in Maryland.
608
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$44.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Howard County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Howard County, Maryland severe weather history averages 10.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 281 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 594 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Howard County, Maryland record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $33.2M 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 Howard County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 347 | 0 | $3.4M | 70 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 90 | 3 | $33.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 71 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $12K | 3.5 | 1976–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $7.2M | F2 | 1975–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $935K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Howard County, Maryland severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-09-24 | EF3 | 2 | 55 | 17.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Howard County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2016 | Flash Flood | ELLICOTT CITY | 2 | 0 | $22.4M |
| May 27, 2018 | Flash Flood | ELLICOTT CITY | 1 | 0 | $10.5M |
| May 19, 2015 | Flood | SAVAGE | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Nov 16, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Aug 28, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 23, 2019 | Tornado | HIGHLAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Catastrophic flash flooding occurred in Ellicott City as a result of torrential short-term rainfall of 6-10 inches. One person died during a lull in the flooding when he attempted to help another person evacuate and was swept away. Floodwaters on the lower portion of Main Street in the 8000 block reached the bottom of second floors of businesses. In all, dozens of water rescues were performed, most from buildings.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office staff conducted a ground survey of storm damage that occurred in the Long Reach village of Columbia, MD, on the evening of Wednesday, June 5, 2024.||Damage was reported in Columbia, MD, in Long Reach village at Phelps Luck Drive, along High Tor Hill, and the 5600 block of Waterloo Road.||The first report of damage was at Phelps Luck Drive. A townhouse development near the intersection of High Tor Hill and Tamar Drive experienced concentrated tornadic damage. Here, approximately two dozen trees were snapped or uprooted, falling in various directions. About a dozen cars parked in the townhouse community parking lot were damaged by trees or large limbs falling onto them. Roofing fascia was peeled off of one townhome. Damage was more intermittent but present heading north toward the 5600 block of High Tor Hill. Finally, tree damage was also reported at the 5600 block of Waterloo Road.
Hundreds of trees and wires blew down in Columbia, along with minor shingle and siding damage to about a dozen homes. A tree blew down in the 6700 block of Carlinda Avenue. A 12-inch tree limb blew down onto Cradlerock Way. A tree blew down in the 6200 block of Star Path. Trees blew down on Quiet Hours, Overheart Lane, Tinted Hill, and Setting Star. Multiple trees and large tree limbs over 10 inches in diameter blew down near the intersection of Broken Land Parkway and Stevens Forest Road, and onto a residence on Commodore Court. A tree blew down near the intersection of Old Columbia Road and Riverwood Drive. Trees blew down on northbound US-29 Columbia Pike near Exit 21A/MD-108 Old Annapolis Road. A tree blew down near the intersection of Sandchain Road and Cobbler Court. A tree branch punctured the ceiling of a home with other trees and large branches snapped in the 6500 block of Fruitgift Place.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
336,328
Population (ACS)
$598K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 2, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Savage 123
- Ellicott City 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Howard County, Maryland?
608 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $44.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Howard County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 347 recorded events — 57.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Howard County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Howard County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Howard County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Howard County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Howard County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Howard County, Maryland 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
- Harford County 948
- Kent County 329
- Garrett County 319
- Montgomery County 1,599
- Frederick County 1,074
- Prince George's County 960
Cite this page
“Howard County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/howard-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.