Dorchester County, Maryland severe weather history spans 264 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,013 nationally and #23 in Maryland.
264
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$7.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Dorchester County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dorchester County, Maryland severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 247 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dorchester County, Maryland record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.8M 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 Dorchester County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 139 | 0 | $1.8M | 74 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 39 | 0 | $3K | 2.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 35 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 1 | $5.8M | F3 | 1984–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $225K | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Dorchester County, Maryland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-08 | EF1 | 1 | 14 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 10 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-09-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-10-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dorchester County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1984 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| May 8, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 24, 2009 | Tornado | ELLIOTT | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Jul 5, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | CAMBRIDGE | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Jul 5, 1990 | 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
Along Maple Dam Road, several homes experienced minor damage and one horse stable was destroyed along with several outbuildings. One horse suffered minor injuries. A local resident who heard the warning measured a 77 mph wind.
Emergency managers reported widespread tree damage across much of the county. The most significant damage was observed on Taylor's Island where several buildings and structures were damaged. A tree also fell onto a home on Hooper Island on Hooper Island Road. A large quonset hut was blown 200 yards near Crapo. Several trees were blocking highways including Liners Road near Andrews and US-50 near Salem. In addition to widespread downed trees, several power lines were downed.
The National Weather Service in Wakefield has surveyed the storm damage near Hurlock, and found it consistent with damage from an EF0 tornado with peak winds of 75 mph. The tornado touched down near East New Market-Hurlock Road just southwest of Hurlock, then tracked north northeast before lifting near Bobtown Road several miles north of Hurlock. Along the track, damage was observed to a metal building structure where a 40 foot hole was evident in the roof. Several irrigation systems were overturned in additional to damage to soybean and corn fields. There was also some minor tree damage along the track.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
32,754
Population (ACS)
$262K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Feb 4, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 20, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dorchester County, Maryland?
264 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dorchester County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 139 recorded events — 52.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dorchester 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 Dorchester County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dorchester County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dorchester County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dorchester County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dorchester 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
- Charles County 682
- Frederick County 1,074
- Cecil County 534
- Garrett County 319
- Carroll County 684
- Harford County 948
Cite this page
“Dorchester County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/dorchester-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.