146
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$3.9M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Harford County, Maryland: 146 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #77 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Harford County, Maryland: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Harford County is the 2010s, when 75 of the county's 146 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Harford County archive, flash flood makes up 15.4% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #77 for this hazard and #3 within Maryland, putting it in the 97.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in Harford County with 47 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2018 | CALVARY | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 1999 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 0 | 15 | $2.6M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2025 | JOPPA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | VAN BIBBER | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | VAN BIBBER | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | TAYLOR | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | JOPPA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | JOPPA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2025 | ABERDEEN ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2025 | ABERDEEN | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2025 | FOREST HILL | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | CLAYTON | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Harford County
- Thunderstorm Wind 578
- Hail 84
- Flood 79
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A car was swept underneath a bridge along James Run road near the intersection of State Route 136 and James Run Road. The car was later found near the intersection of Calvary Road and Schucks Road. Two fatalities occurred; one in the car swept downstream, and another of a person who attempted to assist the disabled vehicle.
Between 500 and 800 PM, more than a dozen roads in Bel Air, Abingdon, and Joppa were closed due to high water, including Route 40 at the Baltimore-Harford County Line. There were five incidents of vehicles stuck in flooded roadways. Water rose above the guardrails of a bridge and swept a car 20 ft downstream at the Plum Tree and South Tollgate roads intersection. Overall, at least 3 dozen flooded roads in the county, several water rescues occurred, and numerous trees were downed due to excessive water. There were voluntary evacuations of weekend cabins near Broad Creek in the Darlington area.
Several water rescues reported. One such report was for a 16 year old boy in Fallston. A water rescue occurred in Abington when two 18-year olds drove into high water along South Calvary Road (Route 136) and Philadelphia Road (Route 7). Another water rescue occurred on Barksdale Road and Joppa Farm Road.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Harford County, Maryland?
146 flash flood events are recorded in Harford County between 1996 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Harford County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Harford County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Harford County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Harford County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/harford-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.