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Harford County, Maryland severe weather history spans 948 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #171 nationally and #5 in Maryland.
948
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
48
Direct injuries
$16.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Harford County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harford County, Maryland severe weather history averages 14.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 430 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 32 events fall before 1990 and 916 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Harford County, Maryland record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.2M 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 Harford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 578 | 1 | $4.5M | 78 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 146 | 2 | $3.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 84 | 0 | $31K | 2.75 | 1970–2025 |
| Flood | 79 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $7.2M | F2 | 1959–2023 |
| Lightning | 19 | 1 | $825K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2008 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Harford County, Maryland severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-11-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2018 | Flash Flood | CALVARY | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 8, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | PYLESVILLE | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 14, 2000 | Lightning | JOPPA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 15 | $2.6M |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Lightning | BEL AIR | 0 | 10 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Jun 8, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 1, 2012 | Tornado | BAGLEY | 0 | 2 | $300K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A car was swept underneath a bridge along James Run road near the intersection of State Route 136 and James Run Road. The car was later found near the intersection of Calvary Road and Schucks Road. Two fatalities occurred; one in the car swept downstream, and another of a person who attempted to assist the disabled vehicle.
A local newspaper reported a person was killed when thunderstorm winds brought down two locust trees across Route 136 north of Broad Creek. One tree stuck the passenger side of a passing truck. The driver was not injured but the passenger died the next day from the injuries.
The squall line which produced earlier tornado and microburst events in central Maryland continued to wreak havoc in eastern Harford Co. Two F0 tornadoes produced minor roof, siding, and gutter damage, as well as softwood tree damage, in a relatively narrow path. More substantial damage occurred at the Perryman Unit 1 Baltimore Gas and Electric Facility, where a 70 ton air duct, 12 feet high and 50 feet wide, was blown off an elevated steel girder platform (20 feet high) into the side of an electrical control building, destroying most of the building. Eyewitness in the vicinity also watched an 8- by 30-foot trailer become airborne before blowing apart. Debris was seen rotating as it descended into a nearby field.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
263,757
Population (ACS)
$386K
Median home value
20
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harford County, Maryland?
948 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $16.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 578 recorded events — 61.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harford County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harford County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harford County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harford 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
- Garrett County 319
- Howard County 608
- Frederick County 1,074
- Kent County 329
- Dorchester County 264
- Montgomery County 1,599
Cite this page
“Harford County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/harford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.