Worcester County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Worcester County: 0.
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.

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

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.

High tide flooding

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 28, 2012Coastal Flood, Maryland Beaches$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water levels reached 3.0 feet to 4.5 feet above normal adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean resulting in moderate to severe coastal flooding. Ocean City Inlet reached a tide height of 6.06 feet MLLW. Numerous streets were closed due to flooding in the southern half of Ocean City. Portions of the fishing pier and boardwalk were damaged/destroyed by the combination of storm surge and extreme wave action. Severe beach erosion occurred from Ocean City southward to Assateague Island, with several areas of beach on Assateague Island breached.

2. Oct 28, 2012Coastal Flood, Inland Worcester$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water levels reached 3.0 feet to 4.0 feet above normal in the coastal bays west of Ocean City and Assateague. Several roads were closed by high water, and a number of homes were flooded.

3. Jan 27, 1998Coastal Flood, Maryland Beaches / X E Worcester$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A Nor'easter battered the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday, January 27th and Wednesday, January 28th. The slow movement of the storm combined with the highest astronomical tides of the month resulted in an extended period of gale to storm force onshore winds which drove tides to an estimated 8.0-8.5 feet above MLLW at Ocean City. These tide levels resulted in moderate coastal flooding throughout the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. The rainfall combined with the gale and storm force winds resulted in scattered tree limbs downed across much of the area. Numerous homes, several buildings and one hotel sustained damage in the Ocean City area. Assateague State Park also received…

4. Feb 4, 1998Coastal Flood, Maryland Beaches / X E Worcester$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A Nor'easter battered the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore from Tuesday, February 3rd through Thursday, February 5th. The slow movement of the storm resulted in an extended period of gale to storm force onshore winds which drove tides to an estimated 8.5 feet above MLLW at Ocean City. These tide levels resulted in moderate to severe coastal flooding throughout the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. The south end of Ocean City, from 15th street to the inlet, received significant street flooding and flooding of homes. Significant beach erosion occurred in Ocean City, with major dune and beach damage experienced in Assateague Island. In addition, there were widely scattered power outages.

5. Sep 1, 2006High Wind, Maryland Beaches / X E Worcester$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The remnants of Ernesto along the Mid Atlantic coast combined with strong high pressure over New England produced very strong winds across the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. Sustained winds in mph ranged from the lower 40s to near 50 with maximum gusts ranging from the mid 50s to as high as the mid 70s. Some higher sustained winds included 49 mph (43 knots) at Ocean City, and 45 mph (39 knots) at Salisbury. Some higher maximum gusts included 75 mph (65 knots) at Bishops Head, and 70 mph (61 knots) at Smith Island. The high winds caused numerous downed trees and power outages, along with significant structural damage.

6. Nov 12, 2009Coastal Flood, Maryland Beaches$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The peak tide height at Ocean City was 5.44 feet above MLLW, which was 3.17 feet above the astronomical tide. Numerous streets, homes and businesses were flooded in low lying areas of the county close or directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean City reported a major loss of the beach. The Corps of Engineers and the Ocean City Engineer estimated 1 million cubic yards of sand were lost, and approximately 50 percent of the Dune Line was lost. In addition, there was considerable damage to the beaches on Assateague National Seashore. More than 1500 tires from an offshore artificial reef washed up on to Assateague's beaches.

7. Sep 1, 2006High Wind, Inland Worcester / Except X E Worcester$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The remnants of Ernesto along the Mid Atlantic coast combined with strong high pressure over New England produced very strong winds across the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. Sustained winds in mph ranged from the lower 40s to near 50 with maximum gusts ranging from the mid 50s to as high as the mid 70s. Some higher sustained winds included 49 mph (43 knots) at Ocean City, and 45 mph (39 knots) at Salisbury. Some higher maximum gusts included 75 mph (65 knots) at Bishops Head, and 70 mph (61 knots) at Smith Island. The high winds caused numerous downed trees and power outages, along with significant structural damage.

8. Sep 6, 1996Hurricane (Typhoon), Maryland Beaches$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Spiral bands associated with Hurricane Fran affected the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore during Friday, September 6th. The highest sustained wind speed recorded was 22 mph at Salisbury with the highest gust at 35 mph. A storm surge of 4 to 6 feet inundated portions of the communities of Taylors Island, Hoopers Island, and Madison in Dorchester county along the Chesapeake Bay. Many roads were flooded with some homes receiving water damage at the time of high tide. Dorchester county officials reported approximately $925,000 in damage from Fran. The vast majority of this amount was for replacement of damaged bulkheads and shoreline. In some locations, nearly 10 feet of shore was lost…

9. Nov 12, 2009Coastal Flood, Inland Worcester$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several streets, homes and businesses were flooded in low lying areas of the county close or directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean and Chincoteague Bay.

10. Oct 9, 2016Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rain caused an extended period of significant flooding across portions of the county. Several roads were impassable or closed for a couple of days, and some homes and businesses were impacted.

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

103°FJul 23, 2011

All-time low

−8°FJan 18, 1957

Warmest night

83°FJul 20, 2013

Coldest day

8°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

8.01 inSep 1, 2002

Snowiest day

11.7 inFeb 2, 1996

Hottest year

2012mean 60.4°F

Coldest year

1958mean 54.0°F

Wettest year

197969.63 in

Driest year

200733.51 in

Snowiest season

51.8 in1995-96

Station Salisbury-wicomico Regional Airport (USW00093720), 47 ft elevation, 15.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00093720.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, 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.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• 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.