Baltimore County, Maryland severe weather history spans 1,320 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #59 nationally and #2 in Maryland.
1,320
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
115
Direct injuries
$76.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Baltimore County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Baltimore County, Maryland severe weather history averages 19.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 594 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 1,268 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Baltimore County, Maryland record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $53.1M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Baltimore County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 638 | 2 | $9.3M | 78 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 314 | 2 | $12.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 162 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Hail | 146 | 0 | $36K | 4 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 0 | $53.1M | F2 | 1973–2025 |
| Lightning | 14 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2005 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1996–1999 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Baltimore County, Maryland severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 59 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-09-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-02 | EF1 | 2 | 1 | 2.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.4 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Baltimore County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | S PORTION | 2 | 0 | $25K |
| Aug 3, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | TIMONIUM | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Oct 2, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 4, 2022 | Lightning | CARNEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 59 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 25, 2005 | Heavy Rain | ROSEDALE | 0 | 32 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Jul 18, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | PARKVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hundreds of trees blew down west of Cockeysville. Numerous trees blew down along MD-25 Falls Road near Shawan Road. Trees blew down on southbound I-83 near Exit 18/MD-943 Warren Road. Numerous trees blew down along MD-25 Falls Road near Greenway Road. Trees blew down on I-83 near Exit 24/Belfast Road.
Hundreds of trees and wires blew down across northern Baltimore County, including near Timonium and White Hall. Some fell onto cars and structures, and some homes had minor roof and siding damage. A campground near Freeland had several large trees uprooted and snapped, at least one onto a trailer. Additional trees were snapped and uprooted in Parkton.
Numerous trees blew down around Cockeysville. Approximately 10 trees blew down along Phoenix Road. Numerous trees and power lines blew down along Paper Mill Road. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted in the Monkton, Sparks, and Hereford areas nearby, including along Blenheim Road North.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
850,796
Population (ACS)
$349K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Jul 2, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 10, 2014 | Severe Storm | SNOWSTORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Sparrows Pt 140
- White Marsh 140
- Dundalk 126
- Baltimore Highlands 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Baltimore County, Maryland?
1,320 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $76.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Baltimore County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 638 recorded events — 48.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Baltimore County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Baltimore County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Baltimore County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Baltimore County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Baltimore County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Baltimore 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
- Anne Arundel County 946
- Allegany County 468
- Calvert County 447
- Caroline County 265
- Carroll County 684
- Cecil County 534
Cite this page
“Baltimore County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/baltimore-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.