71
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$10K
Property damage
Flood in Howard County, Maryland: 71 recorded events between 2006 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #133 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Howard County, Maryland: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Howard County is the 2010s, when 58 of the county's 71 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 Howard County archive, flood makes up 11.7% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #133 for this hazard and #9 within Maryland, putting it in the 95.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flood in Howard County with 14 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2015 | SAVAGE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2024 | SAVAGE | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 18, 2023 | SAVAGE | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2022 | SAVAGE | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 29, 2021 | SAVAGE | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 29, 2021 | ELKRIDGE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2021 | ILCHESTER | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 25, 2020 | GUILFORD | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 25, 2020 | ELKRIDGE | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2020 | MC ALPINE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | ELKRIDGE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Howard County
- Thunderstorm Wind 347
- Flash Flood 90
- Hail 55
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The stream gauge on the Patapsco River at Elkridge reached a flood stage of 15 feet. The river crested at 15.08 feet at 22:00 EST. Water began to cover a portion of River Road in Patapsco Valley State Park. Large portions of the park began to flood near the playground off Gunn Road.
The stream gage on the Little Patuxent River near Columbia Town Center exceeded the 298.50 flood elevation during the indicated period. The peak elevation of 298.63 was observed at 8:00pm EST on June 3rd. At the peak level, South Entrance Road floods at the river.
The stream gage on the Little Patuxent River at Savage exceeded the flood stage of 10 feet during the indicated period. Riverside trains began to flood, and water approached fields off of Bald Eagle Drive, as well as Brock Bridge Road. The peak level of 10.59 feet occurred at 11:00 PM on the 24th.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Howard County, Maryland?
71 flood events are recorded in Howard County between 2006 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Howard County?
The strongest flood on record in Howard County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for Howard 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
“Flood in Howard County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/howard-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.