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Caroline, MD; Kent, MD; Queen Anne's, MD; Talbot, MD
Kent County, Maryland severe weather history spans 329 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,611 nationally and #16 in Maryland.
329
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Kent County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kent County, Maryland severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 311 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $1.2M 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 Kent County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 222 | 0 | $91K | 70 | 1968–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 42 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1999–2021 |
| Hail | 18 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1975–2018 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $36K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $503K | F1 | 1950–1990 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2019 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 2011–2016 |
Decade by decade
Kent County, Maryland severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kent County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2007 | Lightning | GALENA | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2005 | Lightning | WORTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 15, 2000 | Lightning | ROCK HALL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 1999 | Lightning | CHESTERTOWN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 1998 | Lightning | ROCK HALL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The heavy rain that fell across Kent County not only caused poor drainage flooding, but exacerbated the tidal flooding along the Chesapeake Bay. Event precipitation totals of around 6 to 8 inches were reported, including 6.93 inches in Worton.
About a dozen roadways were closed by flooding. In Millington (along the Chester River) the flooding was described as the worst since Hurricane Floyd. Several people were rescued from stranded vehicles. The Sassafras River also flooded along the county line with Cecil County.
A gust front outrunning a cluster of severe thunderstorms entered near Rock Hall in western Kent County at approximately 11:22 pm EDT on the 29th. This gust front produced damaging wind gusts estimated at 65 mph as it traversed eastward across the county. Within approximately 20 minutes of the gust front passage, a potent line of severe thunderstorms tracked eastward through Kent County, producing another round of destructive wind gusts, estimated at 65 mph. Many large tree limbs were reported down across the county, including in the Millington area. Severe thunderstorms exited eastern Kent County, near Massey, at approximately 12:31 am EDT on the 30th. A peak wind gust of 66 mph was measured at Tolchester Beach.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,346
Population (ACS)
$331K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Nov 20, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kent County, Maryland?
329 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kent County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 222 recorded events — 67.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kent County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kent County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kent County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kent County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kent County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kent 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
- Howard County 608
- Montgomery County 1,599
- Harford County 948
- Prince George's County 960
- Garrett County 319
- Queen Anne's County 386
Cite this page
“Kent County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/kent-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.