Somerset County, Maine severe weather history spans 465 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,002 nationally and #6 in Maine.
465
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$21.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Somerset County, Maine severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Somerset County, Maine severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 185 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 425 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $17.8M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Somerset County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 265 | 0 | $0 | 78 | 1960–2024 |
| Flood | 79 | 0 | $17.8M | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1962–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $580K | F2 | 1961–2014 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $122K | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
Decade by decade
Somerset 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-08-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-09-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Somerset County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2004 | Lightning | MADISON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 1985 | 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
Heavy rain resulted in serious county-wide flooding of small rivers and streams in southern Somerset County. Some of the most extensive damage occurred in the towns of Canaan, Cornville, Detroit, Fairfield, Harmony, Palmyra, Pittsfield, St. Albans and Skowhegan. Hardest hit was Cornville where damage amounted to almost $140,000.00.
Heavy rain and snowmelt caused the Pleasant Pond Stream to flood 2 bridges, one near Main Street and the other upstream. Main Street was closed cutting off most homes in the community. Some buildings were also inundated.
Major flooding of the Dead River with an estimated rain and snowmelt between 6 and 7 inches of liquid runoff. The resultant flow was estimated around 20.6 kcfs, which is greater than the 0.2% annual exceedance level. A home's foundation was compromised off Dead River Road in West Forks Plantation and the property was a complete loss. Route 201 flooded in West Forks and just south of the confluence of the Kennebec River and Dead River.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
50,959
Population (ACS)
$167K
Median home value
172
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 14, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Jul 6, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 22, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Skowhegan 193
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Somerset County, Maine?
465 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $21.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Somerset County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 265 recorded events — 57.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Somerset 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 Somerset County?
172 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Somerset County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Somerset County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Somerset County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Somerset 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
- Sagadahoc County 89
- Waldo County 139
- Piscataquis County 331
- Washington County 171
- Penobscot County 574
- York County 518
Cite this page
“Somerset County, Maine.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maine/somerset-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.