York County, Maine severe weather history spans 518 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #813 nationally and #5 in Maine.
518
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$58.1M
Property damage
The record
What the York County, Maine severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, York County, Maine severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 202 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 459 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the York County, Maine record is flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $37.6M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in York County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 264 | 1 | $1.5M | 80 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 149 | 0 | $200K | 2.75 | 1960–2020 |
| Lightning | 43 | 0 | $991K | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $13.2M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 15 | 2 | $37.6M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $3.2M | F2 | 1956–2014 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 7 | 0 | $703K | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2010 |
| Coastal Flood | 1 | 0 | $766K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
York County, Maine severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-10-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-08-13 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in York County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2007 | Flood | ALFRED | 2 | 0 | $25.0M |
| Sep 9, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | WATERBORO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2003 | Dust Devil | EAST LEBANON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAST LEBANON | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2001 | Lightning | YORK VLG | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | PARSON FIELD | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2001 | Lightning | ALFRED | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Aug 14, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain with up to 6.5 causes excessive run off in the city of Biddeford. The rapid urban run-off caused erosion on a retaining wall on the Saco River in downtown. This caused the wall to collapse into the river with extensive damage to the riverfront park area.
A severe thunderstorm produced microburst winds in the village of York. The microburst affected an area of about 1 mile long and about 1.5 miles wide. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted in the town. Two homes suffered major damage with 12 homes having moderate to minor damage. Additionally, 28 properties had damage to other buildings, sheds, fences and pools. Three vehicles were destroyed by falling trees with 14 more that sustained moderate to minor damage. The hardest hit areas were along Donica Road, Rayden Road, Fieldstone Estates Road, and Route 1-A where winds were estimated to have gusted to 80 mph.
A very impressive hail storm occurred in and around Sanford early in the morning on the 14th. A supercell thunderstorm dumped large amounts of mainly small hail that piled up to several feet in spots where water had washed the hail into piles. Many cars at a dealership were damaged. A few stones were as big as ping pong balls.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
216,731
Population (ACS)
$396K
Median home value
42
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Mar 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 14, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Mar 22, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 15, 2022 | Coastal Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in York County, Maine?
518 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $58.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in York County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 264 recorded events — 51.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed York County?
14 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 York County?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include York County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is York County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates York County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the York 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
- Washington County 171
- Waldo County 139
- Somerset County 465
- Sagadahoc County 89
- Piscataquis County 331
- Penobscot County 574
Cite this page
“York County, Maine.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maine/york-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.