Lightning in Maryland

Events

313

Deaths

12

Injuries

85

Damage

$20 million

• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Maryland, July 25, 20102 deaths · $373,000 · 78 kt wind · 72 eventsA strong upper-level disturbance and its associated cold front moved into Maryland on the 25th. Hot and humid conditions ahead of the front led to high amounts of instability. Showers and thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the cold front.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Maryland, August 11, 20211 death · 1 injured · $946,000 · 65 kt wind · 26 eventsA lee pressure trough and weak cold front combined to ignite numerous thunderstorms in a strongly unstable environment. The strongest thunderstorms produced severe wind gusts and sporadic hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, August 3, 20021 death · 2 injured · $562,000 · 1 in hail · 14 eventsSeveral thunderstorms with high winds, large hail, and frequent lightning moved through western and central Maryland between 2 and 6 PM EDT. In Allegany County, a few trees and power lines were downed in Cumberland. Pea sized hail was also reported.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Maryland, July 14 to 15, 20001 death · $659,000 · 1.75 in hail · 23 eventsA cold front moved across the region during the evening of the 14th. Thunderstorms that developed ahead and along this front produced very heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, large hail, and winds in excess of 55 MPH. Across Baltimore County, heavy rain flooded several roads.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Maryland, August 4, 20221 death · $369,000 · 61 kt wind · 32 eventsA surface trough ignited numerous showers and thunderstorms that resulted in scattered instances of damaging wind gusts and sporadic large hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 26, 19981 death · 2 injured · $130,000 · 1 in hail · 14 eventsA weak upper-level disturbance, combined with a surface trough, triggered a hot, humid, unstable air mass lying across much of Maryland.
• Hail and Damaging Wind in Maryland, June 17, 20001 death · 8 injured · $2,000 · 0.88 in hail · 7 eventsSlow moving thunderstorms dropped very heavy rain across Maryland during the afternoon and evening of the 17th. In Washington County, some streams rose above bankful and roads were temporarily covered by water after a deluge of rain. Over 1.25 inches of rain fell in 90 minutes.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 15, 20001 death · $102,000 · 1 in hail · 14 eventsA line of thunderstorms which produced winds in excess of 55 MPH, large hail, heavy rain, and frequent lighting moved across the area during the afternoon and evening of the 15th. In Washington County, several trees were downed on the north end of Hagerstown.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Maryland, June 4, 2008$2.1 million · EF0 · 76 eventsA stalled front resided across the Mid Atlantic during the afternoon and evening of June 4th, allowing moisture and instability to pool along the boundary.
• Lightning Strike in Maryland, June 15, 19981 death · $20,000 · 1 eventLightning strike caused a fire to a barn. Also, a 20 year old man was struck and killed by lightning.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Maryland, July 12, 20221 death · 1 injured · $1,000 · 61 kt wind · 6 eventsIsolated thunderstorms developed leading to some significant wind damage in Delmarva. Most notably was a macroburst which began near Denton, MD and continued for about 18 miles east into Delaware with estimated peak winds of 110 mph.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Maryland, May 13, 20002 injured · $482,000 · F1 · 45 eventsTemperatures in the mid 80s to lower 90s in combination with humid conditions resulted in several rounds of thunderstorms across Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay from midday through late evening on the 13th.
• Lightning Strike and Heavy Rain in Maryland, July 3 to 4, 20001 death · 3 eventsDuring the afternoon and evening of the 3rd, thunderstorms which produced heavy rainfall and frequent lightning moved across central Maryland. In Calvert County, a 37 year old man was killed by lightning on Solomon's Island.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Maryland, June 27, 20071 death · 50 kt wind · 3 eventsA warm and humid air mass developed as high pressure moved offshore and a cold front approached from the west. Scattered thunderstorms developed across central Maryland during the afternoon of June 27th.
• Lightning Strike in Maryland, June 19, 19961 death · 1 eventLightning struck and killed a construction worker on a roof in downtown Baltimore. The worker died from cardiac arrest.
• Tornado and Damaging Winds in Maryland, August 14, 19992 injured · $1.0 million · F1 · 15 eventsAn area of thunderstorms moved across much of Maryland from 1:15 PM to 5:45 PM EDT, producing damaging wind, frequent lightning, and brief heavy downpours. As the storms moved through Washington County trees were downed in Rohersville, a community 5 miles south of Boonesboro.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Maryland, June 16, 19981 injured · $918,000 · F1 · 22 eventsThe approach of a cold front combined with impressive jet stream energy at upper-levels of the atmosphere acted on unstable air near the surface to produce a major severe weather episode across northern Maryland for the second time in three weeks.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Maryland, May 25, 2004$1.5 million · F1 · 19 eventsThunderstorms spawned tornadoes in Washington and Frederick Counties. Other strong thunderstorms also produced wind and hail damage across North Central Maryland and the Metropolitan areas of Baltimore and Washington DC.
• Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 11, 2024$2.1 million · EF1 · 9 eventsA supercell thunderstorm riding along a warm front produced a couple of tornadoes as well as straight-line wind damage over western Maryland.
• Lightning Strike in Maryland, June 26, 19975 injured · $1.0 million · 1 eventA thunderstorm with frequent lightning started a fire that destroyed eight condominiums and damaged eight others in Easton. Five persons were injured, including two firefighters, and as many as 30 persons were left homeless. Damage was estimated at one million dollars.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Maryland, August 10, 2021$2.6 million · 57 kt wind · 18 eventsA lee pressure trough ignited thunderstorms in a strongly unstable environment. The strongest thunderstorms produced severe downbursts and sporadic hail.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Maryland, August 13, 2021$714,000 · 60 kt wind · 41 eventsA cold front intersected an extremely unstable airmass. The result was numerous strong to severe thunderstorms containing damaging wind gusts and some hail.
• Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Maryland, November 5, 2003$1.2 million · F1 · 5 eventsA tornadic thunderstorm produced a pair of weak tornadoes across Northern Virginia before crossing into Maryland on the 5th. Once in Maryland, the first tornado produced scattered damage in rural areas between the Potomac River and Poolesville.
• Tornado and Storm Surge in Maryland, April 21, 20001 injured · $290,000 · F1 · 22 eventsLow pressure passed directly over the Mid-Atlantic region on the 21st and spawned thunderstorms with winds in excess of 55 MPH, heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, and large hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, August 17, 19973 injured · $521,000 · 75 kt wind · 13 eventsClusters of strong to severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front, one that put an end to a two-day period of oppressive heat and humidity.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Maryland

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.