Tornadoes · United States

Tornadoes in Maryland

415 tornadoes since 1950, an average of 5.5 a year, 33rd of the 53 states and territories in the record. They have killed 9 people and injured 326. 1 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The deadliest in Maryland

  1. F4 La Plata tornado, MarylandApril 28, 20023 killed, 122 injured
  2. EF1, City of Baltimore and Baltimore counties, MarylandNovember 2, 20182 killed, 1 injured
  3. F3, Prince George's and Howard counties, MarylandSeptember 24, 20012 killed, 55 injured
  4. F1, Dorchester and Sussex counties, Maryland and DelawareMay 8, 19841 killed, 14 injured
  5. F3, Garrett County, MarylandMay 19, 19671 killed

The strongest

  1. F4 La Plata tornado, MarylandApril 28, 2002F4, 38.0 mi (61 km)
  2. F3, Dorchester County, MarylandApril 28, 2002F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  3. F3, Prince George's and Howard counties, MarylandSeptember 24, 2001F3, 17.5 mi (28 km)
  4. F3, Carroll County, MarylandJuly 19, 1996F3, 2.2 mi (4 km)
  5. F3, Carroll and Frederick counties, MarylandMay 22, 1983F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F3, Garrett County, MarylandMay 19, 1967F3, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  7. F3, Anne Arundel County, MarylandJune 9, 1961F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  8. EF2, Anne Arundel County, MarylandSeptember 1, 2021EF2, 11.4 mi (18 km)
  9. F2, Caroline County, MarylandMay 18, 1995F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  10. F2, Queen Anne's County, MarylandJuly 30, 1971F2, 8.3 mi (13 km)
  11. F2, Anne Arundel County, MarylandJuly 27, 1994F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  12. F2, Calvert County, MarylandJune 27, 1978F2, 6.9 mi (11 km)

The longest paths

  1. F4 La Plata tornado, MarylandApril 28, 200238.0 mi (61 km)
  2. EF0, Saint Mary's and Calvert counties, MarylandFebruary 21, 201423.6 mi (38 km)
  3. EF0, Montgomery County, MarylandJune 13, 201320.1 mi (32 km)
  4. F3, Dorchester County, MarylandApril 28, 200218.0 mi (29 km)
  5. F1, Dorchester and Sussex counties, Maryland and DelawareMay 8, 198418.0 mi (29 km)
  6. F1, Dorchester and Sussex counties, Maryland and DelawareMay 8, 198418.0 mi (29 km)
  7. F1, Saint Mary's County, MarylandSeptember 5, 197917.8 mi (29 km)
  8. F3, Prince George's and Howard counties, MarylandSeptember 24, 200117.5 mi (28 km)
  9. EF1, Charles and Saint Mary's counties, MarylandJune 27, 201516.1 mi (26 km)
  10. EF1, Montgomery County, MarylandJune 5, 202415.2 mi (24 km)
  11. F1, Garrett County, MarylandJuly 13, 197114.9 mi (24 km)
  12. F1, Frederick and Carroll counties, MarylandJuly 19, 196314.4 mi (23 km)

The costliest

  1. F4 La Plata tornado, MarylandApril 28, 2002$124 million
  2. F3, Prince George's and Howard counties, MarylandSeptember 24, 2001$101 million
  3. EF1, City of Baltimore and Baltimore counties, MarylandJune 5, 2024$12 million
  4. F1, Anne Arundel County, MarylandSeptember 28, 2006$6.0 million
  5. EF1, Baltimore County, MarylandJune 5, 2024$5.0 million
  6. EF2, Carroll County, MarylandJune 5, 2024$5.0 million
  7. EF2, Carroll County, MarylandJune 5, 2024$5.0 million
  8. EF1, Montgomery County, MarylandJune 5, 2024$5.0 million
  9. F3, Carroll County, MarylandJuly 19, 1996$5.0 million
  10. EF0, Howard County, MarylandJune 5, 2024$3.0 million
  11. EF1, City of Baltimore and Baltimore counties, MarylandMay 16, 2025$1.5 million
  12. EF0, Anne Arundel County, MarylandSeptember 3, 2020$1.3 million

The biggest days in Maryland

  1. July 27, 199414tornadoes
  2. June 1, 201213tornadoes
  3. June 5, 202410tornadoes
  4. August 4, 202010tornadoes
  5. August 28, 19929tornadoes
  6. July 19, 19968tornadoes
  7. September 5, 19797tornadoes
  8. April 28, 20116tornadoes
  9. February 7, 20205tornadoes
  10. April 27, 20115tornadoes
  11. May 13, 20025tornadoes
  12. April 28, 20025tornadoes

Every year

Every year of the published record, and above it the 13 tornado tracks surveyed in Maryland so far in 2026. This year's figures are preliminary and are not in the totals above, which are SPC's published database.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesF4 and above
2026 preliminary13
20255
2024125
20233
202261
20218
202020
201961
2018221
201741
20163
20154
20142
201310
2012162
201127
201043
2009102
20087
20072
20063
200418
20039
20021431221
200110255
20008
19993
199891
19974
1996214
1995245
1994211
199362
1992132
19911
19901062
19891
19845128
19832
19821
198122
1980210
197982
19788
19771
19764
197510
19744
197344
19721
19713
196921
196751
19662
19652
19632
19623
19614
19602
19592
19582
195418
19532
195241
19501

Every county in Maryland

A tornado is counted once for every county its path crossed, so these add up to more than 415. Each county has a page of its own: every tornado that crossed it, year by year.

CountyTornadoesDeaths
Frederick County36
Saint Mary's County34
Charles County323
Baltimore County312
Anne Arundel County29
Prince George's County282
Montgomery County27
Carroll County26
Harford County26
Calvert County193
Cecil County19
Howard County192
Worcester County15
Dorchester County141
Washington County14
Queen Anne's County13
Wicomico County11
Allegany County8
Caroline County8
Garrett County71
Somerset County6
City of Baltimore62
Kent County5
Talbot County4
Sussex County31
Loudoun County2

Nearby

Warnings in force in MarylandForecast for your townThe live radar over Maryland

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.