Worcester County, Maryland severe weather history spans 267 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,989 nationally and #21 in Maryland.
267
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Worcester County, Maryland severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Worcester County, Maryland severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 103 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 250 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $2.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Worcester County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $2.0M | 74 | 1956–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 66 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Hail | 32 | 0 | $3K | 1.75 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $550K | F1 | 1958–2020 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2016–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Worcester County, Maryland severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-11-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Microburst caused extensive damage to a several block area (65th to 74th streets) in Ocean City. Roof damage, some significant, to several motels, homes and restaurants. One older home completely unroofed. Numerous boats in dry dock were overturned and damaged or destroyed by the microburst. Flying debris caused other minor structural damage. Approximately 15 power poles were snapped off, and numerous signs were damaged or destroyed. Power out to 7,300 customers. Winds estimated between 75 and 100 mph.
Microburst ripped the roof off of a maintenance building, with the roof debris scattered about 200 yards into a neighboring field. Damage also occurred at a nearby car dealership, where a tent was blown down and approximately 18 cars were damaged. The tent poles caused most of the damage to the cars, including numerous dents and broken windows. About 3 miles west of this site, several large pine trees were snapped off approximately 15 feet above the ground.
The wind damage which occurred in West Ocean City was the result of straight line winds. Damage was evident along both sides of Route 50 and Route 611 (Stephen |Decatur Highway) in West Ocean City. A few shingles were blown off an apartment complex near the Tangier Outlets, and a few trees were also downed. In addition to the wind damage in West Ocean City, two vehicles were damaged at the Ocean City airport as a result of a falling tree in the high wind.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
53,700
Population (ACS)
$375K
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 |
| 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 Worcester County, Maryland?
267 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Worcester County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 110 recorded events — 41.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Worcester County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Worcester County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Worcester County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Worcester County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Worcester County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Worcester 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
- Wicomico County 300
- Washington County 652
- Talbot County 327
- Somerset County 168
- St. Mary's County 648
- Queen Anne's County 386
Cite this page
“Worcester County, Maryland.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maryland/worcester-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.