Cecil County, Maryland severe weather history spans 534 recorded events between 1967 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #773 nationally and #12 in Maryland.
534
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$13.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Cecil County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cecil County, Maryland severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 176 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 510 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cecil County, Maryland record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $5.3M 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 Cecil County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 328 | 2 | $2.6M | 69 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 56 | 0 | $5.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 36 | 0 | $860K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Hail | 35 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1969–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 35 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Lightning | 20 | 0 | $676K | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $4.4M | F2 | 1967–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2015 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Cecil County, Maryland severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-11-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-02-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cecil County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHARLESTOWN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | AIKIN | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | $3.0M |
| May 15, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 28, 2013 | Lightning | LIBERTY GROVE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | Lightning | RISING SUN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | PORT DEPOSIT | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 22, 2010 | Lightning | FAIR HILL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm caused wind damage along the east side of the Northeast River from the McDaniel Yacht Basin northeast to near Maryland State Route 7. At the McDaniel Yacht Basin, metal siding was peeled from buildings, boats were tossed and a wooden shed was destroyed. Farther to the northeast, trees and poles were knocked down along both Maryland State Routes 272 and 7. Trees were also knocked down between Granview Avenue and Hillcrest Lane, Irishtown Road and Saddler Avenue. Nearly 2,000 homes and businesses lost power in Cecil County.
The heavy rain that fell across Cecil County not only caused poor drainage flooding, but exacerbated the tidal flooding along the Chesapeake Bay. Event precipitation totals of around just under 6 inches were reported near Elkton.
All of Port Deposit was evacuated because of the Susquehanna River flooding. Flood damage was reported in Port Deposit and Perryville. The Susquehanna River at the Conowingo Dam had major flooding, its third highest crest on record and its highest crest since January of 1996. The river was above its 23.5 foot flood stage from 438 p.m. EDT on the 7th through 130 a.m. EDT on the 12th. It crested at 32.41 feet at 515 a.m. EDT on the 9th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
104,960
Population (ACS)
$343K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Nov 20, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Elkton 138
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cecil County, Maryland?
534 events are on record between 1967 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $13.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cecil County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 328 recorded events — 61.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cecil County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cecil County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cecil County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cecil County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cecil County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cecil 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
- Carroll County 684
- Charles County 682
- Caroline County 265
- Dorchester County 264
- Calvert County 447
- Frederick County 1,074
Cite this page
“Cecil County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/cecil-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.