Storm Records: Maine
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in Maine: its floods, heat, cold, winter storms, hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes, year by year and county by county, each episode with its narrative.
The worst in Maine on the map
The deadliest and costliest episodes on record here, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 16,017
- Deaths
- 41
- Injuries
- 234
- Damage
- $756 million
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Every year
Tap a year for every episode in it.
Deaths each year
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,024 | 5 | 24 | $3.2 million |
| Heavy Snow | 2,954 | 0 | 0 | $7.5 million |
| Winter Storm | 1,677 | 1 | 0 | |
| Winter Weather | 1,245 | 2 | 56 | $680,000 |
| Hail | 1,222 | 0 | 2 | $1.9 million |
| High Wind | 1,133 | 3 | 3 | $1.5 million |
| Flood | 931 | 5 | 1 | $127 million |
| Strong Wind | 624 | 6 | 4 | $1.7 million |
| Drought | 524 | 0 | 0 | $19 million |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 504 | 2 | 2 | |
| Flash Flood | 451 | 3 | 2 | $65 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 382 | 0 | 0 | |
| Coastal Flood | 227 | 0 | 1 | $177 million |
| Blizzard | 218 | 1 | 1 | |
| Lightning | 215 | 5 | 73 | $8.5 million |
| Heat | 209 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tornado | 140 | 1 | 20 | $9.8 million |
| Ice Storm | 79 | 2 | 0 | $329 million |
| Tropical Storm | 67 | 1 | 1 | $40,000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 43 | 0 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| Heavy Rain | 37 | 0 | 4 | $35,000 |
| Sleet | 34 | 0 | 0 | |
| Funnel Cloud | 20 | 0 | 0 | |
| High Surf | 13 | 2 | 14 | $304,000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| Excessive Heat | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 8 | 0 | 2 | |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 1 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Depression | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | 0 | $920,000 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dense Fog | 2 | 1 | 24 | |
| Freezing Fog | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 1 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
The deadliest
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Maine, December 18 to 22, 2023Low pressure began organizing in the Gulf of Mexico on the 16th, setting record low sea level pressures as it traversed the Southeast through the 17th.
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in Maine, April 16 to 25, 2007An area of low pressure over the southeastern United States on the morning of Sunday, April 15th, rapidly intensified as it slowly moved north to near New York City by the morning of Monday, April 16th.
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Maine, January 24 to 25, 1998Low pressure that developed off the southern New England Coast combined with an area of low pressure moving eastward from the Ohio River Valley to bring a mixture of precipitation to the state.
- Lightning Strike in Maine, July 18, 2008A man and a woman were killed while outside a home in Standish when lightning struck a nearby tree and travelled along the ground. The two had gone outside in a storm to retrieve a pair of sunglasses the family dog had taken from a child when the lightning struck.
- Cold in Maine, October 7 to 8, 2020A low pressure system approaching from Eastern Ontario brought cool, wet conditions to the region. Upper air observations in the region indicated that temperatures at the top of Mt. Katahdin started just above freezing, then dropped just below freezing after the front passed.
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, January 5 to 10, 1998A severe ICE STORM hit sections of central and southern Maine from January 5 through January 9.
- Flash Flood in Maine, October 21 to 23, 1996A coastal storm which was fed tropical moisture by the circulation around Hurricane Lily produced between 4 and 19 inches of rain throughout the County during a 30-hour period. Many homes and businesses were flooded. Many roads and bridges were washed out.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Maine, June 23 to 24, 2012Slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy rain developed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary beneath an upper trof during the afternoon and evening of the 23rd. A severe thunderstorm developed over Brownville during the late afternoon and evening with damaging winds.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maine, July 21, 2022A hot and humid airmass was in place across the northeastern United States ahead of an approaching cold front with these ingredients resulting in numerous showers and thunderstorms across New Hampshire and western Maine.
- Damaging Winds in Maine, June 30, 2021A hot and humid airmass with heat index values well into the 90s was firmly in place when an upper level trough and associated cold front begin to move into western Maine on the afternoon of June 30th.
- Flooding in Maine, April 15 to 18, 2014Mild temperatures and heavy rains contributed to rapid snow melt and ice movement during mid April. Rising river levels and ice jams led to flooding across portions of northern and eastern Maine.
- Tornado in Maine, August 11, 1954
- Strong Wind in Maine, December 22, 1998Strong gusty west to northwesterly winds following the passage of a cold front brought down a few trees and limbs onto utility lines across southern Maine causing scattered outages.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Maine, March 30 to 31, 1998Rapidly melting snow caused by record-breaking warmth combined with rainfall to cause flooding on the Kennebec and Androscoggin Rivers and their tributaries. Many roads were closed due to the flooding.
- Strong Wind in Maine, April 7, 1999A gust of wind downed a dead tree limb at a York elementary school. The falling limb struck two 8-year-old boys, killing one and injuring the other. Winds were gusting to 32 mph at Sanford at the time of the incident.
- Lightning Strike in Maine, July 4, 2000
- Ice Storm in Maine, March 16, 2001A 51-year-old woman from South Berwick was killed when snow and ice slid off the high-pitched roof of her 2-story home and completely buried her.
- Strong Wind in Maine, October 8, 2001A wind gust capsized a canoe with three teenagers aboard on Crawford Pond at approximately 1230 pm. One of the teenagers drowned as a result of the incident. Wind gusts were measured at 37 mph at Portland and 29 mph at Rockland at about the time of the incident.
- Strong Wind in Maine, September 11 to 12, 2002Strong and gusty, northwest winds developed behind a cold front that moved through the area. A 35 year-old construction worker was killed when the wind blew down a wall under construction at a high school in Windham around 5 pm.
- Winter Storm in Maine, January 13 to 14, 2002Low pressure organizing along the Mid-Atlantic coast during Saturday the 12th rapidly intensified while lifting through the Gulf of Maine to Nova Scotia from the 13th into the early morning hours of the 14th.Precipitation overspread the region early on the 13th.
- Dust Devil in Maine, May 19, 2003Wind from a large dust devil in the town of Lebanon reportedly lifted the roof of a two-story body shop causing it to collapse. A 51-year-old man was inside the shop at the time and was killed in the incident.
- Lightning Strike in Maine, June 12, 2005A Rhode Island man was struck and killed by lightning while fishing from a boat in Little North Pond in Rome. A second man on the boat was unharmed and tried to administer CPR, but was unable to revive the victim.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maine, June 19, 2006Trees uprooted
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maine, September 9, 2006A fast-moving line of showers and thunderstorms knocked over numerous trees in Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, and York Counties. Central Maine Power reported more than 9600 customers had interruptions in electrical service.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maine, August 25, 2007Thunderstorms developed across the region during the afternoon and evening in the vicinity of a nearly stationary frontal boundary. Several of the thunderstorms became severe...producing damaging winds and large hail.
The costliest
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, January 5 to 10, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Coastal Flood in Maine, January 13, 2024
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in Maine, April 16 to 25, 2007
- Flash Flooding and Winter Storm in Maine, January 9 to 10, 2024
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Maine, December 23 to 24, 2022
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Maine, December 18 to 22, 2023
- Flash Flood in Maine, October 21 to 23, 1996
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Maine, December 11 to 12, 2008
- Flash Flood in Maine, October 20 to 23, 1996
- Flood in Maine, May 13 to 16, 2006
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Maine, January 24 to 25, 1998
- Drought in Maine, September 1 to 30, 2020
- Drought in Maine, October 1 to 31, 2020
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Maine, May 1 to 6, 2023
- Flash Flooding in Maine, June 29, 2023
- Flooding in Maine, April 28 to 30, 2005
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Maine, October 31, 2021
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Maine, December 21 to 23, 2013
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Maine, June 26, 2023
- Flood in Maine, April 28 to 30, 2018
- Tornadoes in Maine, August 7, 1986
- Coastal Flood in Maine, March 2 to 5, 2018
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Maine, September 7, 2008
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Maine, July 14, 1988
- Flash Flooding in Maine, July 11 to 12, 2007
Counties
Every storm event filed in each county, including the zone-filed ones that covered it.
- Androscoggin County588
- Aroostook County2,010
- Cumberland County1,360
- Franklin County903
- Hancock County824
- Kennebec County700
- Knox County396
- Lincoln County433
- Oxford County1,192
- Penobscot County1,580
- Piscataquis County1,232
- Sagadahoc County403
- Somerset County1,343
- Waldo County717
- Washington County1,101
- York County1,219
Counties and zones as filed
The places filed most often, as the offices named them.
| County or zone | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aroostook | 936 | 3 | 14 | $15 million |
| Cumberland | 602 | 4 | 18 | $31 million |
| Penobscot | 579 | 0 | 9 | $5.7 million |
| Oxford | 566 | 3 | 6 | $24 million |
| York | 520 | 4 | 21 | $58 million |
| Somerset | 465 | 0 | 2 | $22 million |
| Coastal Cumberland zone | 398 | 0 | 2 | $70 million |
| Kennebec | 380 | 2 | 4 | $5.2 million |
| Coastal York zone | 379 | 2 | 2 | $93 million |
| Coastal Hancock zone | 375 | 3 | 15 | $10 million |
| Northeast Aroostook zone | 372 | 1 | 19 | $2.0 million |
| Coastal Washington zone | 358 | 0 | 0 | $12 million |
| Southeast Aroostook zone | 355 | 2 | 1 | $2.2 million |
| Northwest Aroostook zone | 347 | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Penobscot zone | 345 | 0 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| Southern Penobscot zone | 336 | 0 | 65 | $35 million |
| Piscataquis | 334 | 2 | 10 | $1.7 million |
| Androscoggin zone | 322 | 1 | 0 | $35 million |
| Interior York zone | 320 | 1 | 0 | $18 million |
| Kennebec zone | 320 | 1 | 0 | $53 million |
| Central Penobscot zone | 320 | 0 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| Southern Piscataquis zone | 319 | 0 | 0 | $2.0 million |
| Southern Oxford zone | 318 | 1 | 1 | $31 million |
| Sagadahoc zone | 314 | 0 | 0 | $33 million |
| Southern Somerset zone | 314 | 1 | 0 | $7.5 million |
| Lincoln zone | 313 | 0 | 0 | $20 million |
| Interior Hancock zone | 313 | 0 | 1 | $4.0 million |
| Northern Piscataquis zone | 313 | 2 | 2 | |
| Northern Franklin zone | 310 | 0 | 3 | $4.3 million |
| Northern Oxford zone | 308 | 0 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| Southern Franklin zone | 308 | 1 | 0 | $7.6 million |
| Knox zone | 301 | 1 | 0 | $21 million |
| Coastal Waldo zone | 295 | 1 | 0 | $25 million |
| Central Somerset zone | 289 | 0 | 0 | $7.3 million |
| Franklin | 285 | 1 | 12 | $15 million |
| Interior Waldo zone | 283 | 0 | 0 | $7.7 million |
| Interior Cumberland zone | 277 | 1 | 2 | $27 million |
| Northern Somerset zone | 275 | 0 | 0 | |
| Central Washington zone | 270 | 0 | 0 | |
| Androscoggin | 266 | 0 | 4 | $9.0 million |
| Central Piscataquis zone | 266 | 0 | 0 | $99,000 |
| Northern Washington zone | 230 | 0 | 0 | |
| Washington | 171 | 0 | 6 | $2.6 million |
| Waldo | 139 | 0 | 3 | $3.1 million |
| Hancock | 136 | 1 | 7 | $2.8 million |
| Lincoln | 120 | 0 | 2 | $5.7 million |
| Knox | 95 | 0 | 3 | $5.5 million |
| Sagadahoc | 89 | 0 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| Interior Washington zone | 72 | 0 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| Central Interior Cumberland zone | 45 | 1 | 0 | $1.0 million |
| Interior Cumberland Highlands zone | 38 | 1 | 0 | $1.0 million |
| 16 | 0 | 0 |
Every year
More
Every tornado in MaineEvery warning in Maine since 1986River gauges in MaineEvery state
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.