Sanford

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 York County, the county that contains Sanford.

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 York County, the county that contains Sanford.

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 York County, the county that contains Sanford.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 York County.

Mapped by ME GS (161).

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. Jan 13, 2024Coastal Flood, Coastal York$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The astronomical tide in Portland was 11.2 feet (MLLW) at 1205 pm. Flood stage is 12 feet (MLLW). The gale to storm force onshore winds produced a storm surge of 3.37 feet in Portland Harbor. The resulting storm tide topped out at 14.57 feet (MLLW) in the Forest City with the tide remaining above flood stage for two hours and 38 minutes, however, similar to the storm earlier in the week, localized flooding occurred throughout the day in low lying communities such as Ocean Park in Old Orchard Beach. The temporary new tide gauge at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland reached 14.6 feet (MLLW). Across the southern tip of Maine at the Seavey Island gauge, the tide…

2. Apr 16, 2007Flood$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An 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. This intense low in combination with high pressure over eastern Canada produced Overview: An area of low pressure intensified rapidly as it moved slowly from the southeastern United States on the morning of Sunday, April 15th to near New York City by the morning of Monday, April 16th. The intense low over New York City in combination with high pressure over eastern Canada produced a very intense pressure gradient across the area which caused strong east to northeast winds to…

3. Jan 10, 2024Coastal Flood, Coastal York$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense and rapidly deepening area of low pressure over the Great Lakes region (975 mb) combined with modestly high astronomical tides to produce the third highest storm tide ever in Portland (records 1912-present). In the Portsmouth region at the relatively new Seavey Island gauge, the tide reached 12.46 feet at 9:36 am. The storm surge was recorded at 3.17 feet. In terms of erosion, significant splash-over occurred along the coast, especially in vulnerable southeast facing beaches. In Wells, flood waters damaged a home in Seabreeze Drive. In Kennebunkport, large waves closed the roads by depositing stones and debris on Ocean Avenue. Waves struck houses on Ocean Avenue in…

4. Dec 23, 2022Coastal Flood, Coastal York$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The morning of December 23rd had perfect alignment of a very high astronomical tide, peak storm surge of 2+ feet and large battering nearshore waves of 15 to 20 feet all coinciding at high tide. The astronomical tide in Portland was 11.3 feet MLLW at 10:16 am, already close to the established 12 foot MLLW minor flood level. The intense onshore winds produced a storm surge of 2.41 feet in Portland Harbor. The resulting storm tide topped out at 13.72 feet MLLW, it���s fourth highest water level in modern history for the Forest City (records 1912-present). The tide remained above flood stage for 195 minutes (945 am - 100 pm). A temporary new tide gauge installed by the Gulf of…

5. Apr 16, 2007Coastal Flood, Coastal York$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   High astronomical tides combined with strong northeast winds and large battering waves to produce severe coastal flooding across most of the Maine coast. It was the seventh highest tide ever recorded in Portland Harbor in modern day history (13.28 feet). The Fort Point tide gage reached 12.15 feet. Many roads were closed and residents evacuated. Damage to marinas, buoys, docks and coastal property was significant. Channel markers went adrift from their 20,000 pound blocks, causing navigation problems for mariners. The Portland Large Navigational buoy was heavily damaged while measuring 32 foot waves and was later found drifting near the Isles of Shoals. Water and waves were over…

6. Jan 5, 1998Ice Storm, Interior York$12.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe ICE STORM hit sections of central and southern Maine from January 5 through January 9. One of the hardest hit areas stretched from Bridgton to Lewiston to Augusta to Waterville where ice accreted several inches thick on trees, power lines, and other exposed surfaces causing almost everyone in those areas to lose electrical service. Statewide, the storm knocked out power to about 365,000 customers, an estimated 840,000 people or about 70 percent of the state's population of 1.2 million people. About one third of those that lost power were without electricity for more than a week. For some, the electricity was off for up to 3 weeks. During this time, residents and those…

7. Oct 20, 1996Flash Flood$10.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A coastal storm which was fed tropical moisture by the circulation around Hurricane Lily produced between 8 and 19 inches of rain throughout the County during a 30-hour period. Many homes and businesses were flooded. Roads and bridges were washed out.

8. May 13, 2006Flood$9.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure developed south of New England and remained nearly stationary from the 12th to the 15th resulting in over 12 inches of rain in some locations in a 72 hour period. Homes and businesses were damaged extensively. Many roads were washed out and impassable. Some bridges were damaged or destroyed. Several evacuations and rescues took place during the flood event. Two dams on the Salmon Falls River were being monitored as it was feared they may fail.

9. Dec 11, 2008Ice Storm, Coastal York$4.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm brought a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain to Maine from the morning of December 11th to the morning of December 12th. The greatest impact in the state was in coastal counties of the state where a significant ice storm occurred. Following the ice storm, recovery and restoration efforts were negatively impacted by additional winter weather events that passed through the state. ||The ice storm was caused by an area of low pressure that moved northeastward along a stalled frontal boundary off the East Coast. Near ground level, cold air from eastern Canada funneled southward into the region on northerly winds. Southerly winds at higher levels of the…

10. Jan 24, 1998Ice Storm, Coastal York$3.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Low 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. Heavy snow was followed by sleet and freezing rain in most sections of the state, and rain in coastal and downeast sections. The freezing rain which began Friday night persisted in some areas into Saturday night. More than 75,000 customers (an estimated 170,000 people) lost electrical service during the storm as ice-laden trees and branches fell onto power lines, mostly in York and Cumberland Counties. Some of the power outages lasted several days. This storm came as power restoration…

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

101°FAug 2, 1975

All-time low

−28°FJan 18, 1957

Warmest night

77°F2 times, most recently Jul 22, 2011

Coldest day

2°F3 times, most recently Jan 7, 2018

Wettest day

8.19 inOct 21, 1996

Snowiest day

20.0 in2 times, most recently Dec 24, 1970

Hottest year

2010mean 50.5°F

Coldest year

1956mean 45.0°F

Wettest year

200571.85 in

Driest year

196532.32 in

Snowiest season

151.5 in1970-71

Station Sanford 2 Nnw (USC00177479), 289 ft elevation, 2.6 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1953 to August 31, 2026; 93.1% 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 York 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 USC00177479.
• 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.