Greenbelt

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Prince George's County, the county that contains Greenbelt.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Prince George's County, the county that contains Greenbelt.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Prince George's County, the county that contains Greenbelt.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Prince George's County.

Mapped by NASA (2).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 24, 2001Tornado$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large multi-vortex tornado touched down near Hyattsville, tracked along the Route 1 cooridor from College Park to Laurel, then crossed into Howard County. The tornado killed 2 students at the University of Maryland, injured 54 others countywide, and caused 100 million dollars in damage.

2. Oct 29, 2012High Wind, Prince Georges$3.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Estimated wind gusts of 60 mph caused damage to seventeen residences.

3. Sep 18, 2003Tropical Storm, Prince Georges$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   On September 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabel made landfall on the North Carolina Coast. Its huge wind field was already piling water up into the southern Chesapeake Bay. By the time Isabel moved into central Virginia, it had weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm. Isabel's eye tracked well west of the bay, but the storm's 40 to 50 mph sustained winds pushed a bulge of water northward up the bay and its tributaries producing a record storm surge. The Maryland western shore counties of the Chesapeake Bay and along the tidal tributaries of the Potomac, Patuxent, Patapsco and other smaller rivers experience a storm surge reached 5 to 9 feet above normal tides. In many locations,…

4. Jun 25, 2006Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Six people in several cars were stranded when they drove through a stream that had backed up in the 10800 block of Lanham-Severn Road in Glen Dale. Numerous road closures and water rescues were reported near Brandywine. In Hyattsville, 15 homes were evacuated due to flash flooding. Water rescue teams helped 46 adults and 23 children. In Edmonston, 34 homes flooded and 60 people were rescued due to flash flooding. There were reports of nearly 5 feet of water in basements. Numerous basements were flooded when the Anacostia River overflowed its banks. Standing water was reported on High Bridge Road in Bowie. Governors Bridge Road at the Anne Arundel County line was closed due to high water.

5. Aug 27, 2011Tropical Storm, Prince Georges$1.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds of trees were down across the county. At least one tree fell onto a house and another fell onto a car. Power outages were in the tens of thousands.

6. Jul 12, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds of trees snapped and uprooted in College Park and Berwyn Heights with dozens falling onto homes and crushing vehicles, especially near the University of Maryland where large falling trees caused a two story house to split in half. Greenbelt Park remained closed for several weeks due to fallen trees.

7. Aug 12, 2014Flash Flood$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Maryland Emergency Management Agency and FEMA estimated that many roads, bridges, buildings and equipment were damaged or destroyed in Prince George's County during this flash flood event.

8. Jun 24, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A rapidly moving bow-echo produced widespread tree, power line, and minor structural damage from Oxon Hill through Andrews AFB. A wind gust of 79 mph struck the base at 1622EST. Several trees fell onto homes and vehicles; at least one home was split in half by fallen large oaks. Other homes had roof damage from fallen trees, and a few cyclone fences were damaged or destroyed. The winds also caused minor structural damage, mainly to shingles, gutters, and siding.

9. Feb 14, 2003Winter Storm, Prince Georges$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A complex storm system produced copious amounts of wintery precipitation across Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay between the evening of the 14th and midday on the 18th. The first batch of precipitation fell between the evening of the 14th and the evening of the 15th in the form of light to moderate snow or rain. The second batch of precipitation fell between midnight on the 16th through midday on the 17th in the form of heavy snow or sleet. The third batch of precipitation on the back side of the storm fell between the evening of the 17th and midday on the 18th in the form of scattered snow showers. After the precipitation came to an end, record breaking snow and sleet…

10. Jul 4, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Extensive tree damage occurred in the University Park section of Prince Georges County, including College Heights Estates and Lewisdale. Reports were collected from the public, county officials, trained spotters, and newspaper accounts that included trees downed on vehicles and houses and broken sidewalks due to uprooted trees. County officials reported extensive tree damage in the Bowie area as well. About 200 weather-related incidents involving vehicles and property damages were recorded by Prince Georges County officials within a 2 hour period.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°F2 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012

All-time low

−5°FJan 17, 1982

Warmest night

84°F4 times, most recently Jul 3, 2026

Coldest day

8°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.11 inJun 21, 1972

Snowiest day

16.4 inFeb 11, 1983

Hottest year

2024mean 61.8°F

Coldest year

1958mean 55.6°F

Wettest year

201866.28 in

Driest year

196526.94 in

Snowiest season

56.1 in2009-10

Station Washington Reagan Natl Airport (USW00013743), 13 ft elevation, 13.0 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1941 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Prince George's County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00013743.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.