Tornadoes · United States · Maryland

Tornadoes in Prince George's County, Maryland

28 tornadoes have crossed Prince George's County since 1950, 8th of the 24 counties in Maryland with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 61. None was rated F4 or 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.

Now

Tornadoes
28
Deaths
2
Injuries
61
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, September 24, 2001

The deadliest in Prince George's County

  1. F3, Prince George's and Howard counties, MarylandSeptember 24, 20012 killed, 55 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Prince George's and Howard counties, MarylandSeptember 24, 2001F3, 17.5 mi (28 km)
  2. F2, Prince George's County, MarylandSeptember 12, 1971F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  3. F2, Prince George's County, MarylandOctober 5, 1995F2, 2.5 mi (4 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Prince George's County. Each year links to every tornado in Maryland that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20221EF1
20151EF0
20132EF0
20121EF0
20114EF0
20083EF1
20012255F3
20002F1
19962F1
199525F2
199421F1
19923F1
19711F2
19631F1
19531F1

Every tornado that crossed Prince George's County

28 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 5, 20225:31 PM EDTEF1Prince George's0.8125$250,000
September 29, 201510:02 PM EDTEF0Howard4.475
July 1, 20137:33 PM EDTEF0Prince George's2.375$500
April 19, 20137:26 PM EDTEF0Prince George's0.575$25,000
June 1, 20125:27 PM EDTEF0Prince George's0.950$2,000
April 27, 20117:16 PM EDTEF0Prince George's0.4100$5,000
April 27, 20117:12 PM EDTEF0Prince George's0.750$100,000
April 27, 20117:06 PM EDTEF0Prince George's0.475$100,000
April 5, 20114:55 AM EDTEF0Anne Arundel1.350$4,000
May 8, 200812:56 AM EDTEF0Prince George's0.5100$50,000
May 8, 200812:24 AM EDTEF0Prince George's0.550$100,000
April 20, 20082:27 PM EDTEF1Prince George's0.3100$40,000
September 24, 20015:19 PM EDTF3Prince George's17.5200255$101 million
May 25, 20014:19 PM EDTF1Charles3.5100$530,000
June 21, 200010:28 PM EDTF1Prince George's1.0150$150,000
May 13, 20007:45 PM EDTF1Prince George's12.0150$120,000
June 24, 19965:34 PM EDTF1Prince George's5.0200$600,000
June 24, 19965:23 PM EDTF0Prince George's1.050$200,000
October 5, 19957:59 PM EDTF2Prince George's2.52003$500,000 to $5 million
May 18, 19952:30 PM EDTF1Prince George's0.3302$500,000 to $5 million
July 27, 19947:42 PM EDTF1Prince George's6.01001
July 27, 19947:15 PM EDTF1Prince George's6.0150
November 23, 19923:00 AM ESTF1Prince George's1.030$500,000 to $5 million
August 4, 19923:15 PM EDTF0Prince George's0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 4, 19923:10 PM EDTF1Prince George's2.073
September 12, 197111:50 AM EDTF2Prince George's3.0200$50,000 to $500,000
July 19, 19638:00 PM GMT-4F1Prince George's1.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19534:30 PM GMT-4F1Prince George's1.0200$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Prince George's CountyThe forecast for Prince George's CountyThe live radar over Prince George's CountyEvery county in 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.