Wicomico County, Maryland severe weather history spans 300 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,782 nationally and #19 in Maryland.
300
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Wicomico County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wicomico County, Maryland severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 275 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wicomico County, Maryland record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wicomico County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 163 | 0 | $466K | 66 | 1958–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 59 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1967–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $1.2M | F1 | 1962–2020 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $35K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
Decade by decade
Wicomico 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: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wicomico County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 1998 | Lightning | FRUITLAND | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| May 10, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 2009 | Lightning | FRUITLAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado initially touched down near Salisbury University along Highway 13 and Dogwood Drive damaging several businesses. The tornado struck a strip mall along Highway 13 tossing vehicles around in the parking lot, and causing minor damage to nearby buildings. A concrete building in the area collapsed due to bay doors on the building being open. Wind entered the structure causing it to collapse. It was in this area near the University where the tornado was most intense, at the time of initial |touchdown. The tornado tracked northeast across the east side of the Salisbury University campus, crossing Bateman Street and East College Drive before damaging a home on Rogers Street. The tornado lifted off the ground before it could cross Highway 12 (Snow Hill Road) near the Elks Club Golf Course.
A damage survey conducted by the NWS Wakefield office found a path of storm damage consistent with an EF2 tornado. The tornado touched down near Athol Road just south of Mardela Springs, causing some downed trees and damage to a roof. The tornado then moved across Main Street, causing a house to be shifted off its foundation. A shed was also totally destroyed. In addition, bark was stripped off of trees. The tornado then lifted just north of Route 50 where large garage doors were blown in.
A brief EF0 tornado developed over the Wicomico River and tracked northwest across the Country Club South neighborhood and Green Hill Country Club. Minor damage occurred to several homes in the back section of Country Club south. Siding, shingles, and gutters were torn from houses and numerous trees were uprooted. Several trees were also uprooted on the golf course of the Green Hill Country Club.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
104,914
Population (ACS)
$255K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Nov 20, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 16, 2011 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRENE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wicomico County, Maryland?
300 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wicomico County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 163 recorded events — 54.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wicomico County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wicomico County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wicomico County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wicomico County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wicomico County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wicomico 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
- Washington County 652
- Worcester County 267
- Talbot County 327
- Somerset County 168
- St. Mary's County 648
- Queen Anne's County 386
Cite this page
“Wicomico County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/wicomico-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.