Hancock County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by ME GS (11).

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 5, 1998Ice Storm, Coastal Hancock$10.0 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…

2. Jan 5, 1998Ice Storm, Interior Hancock$4.0 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…

3. Jun 9, 2021Flash Flood$615,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall totals generally ranged from 2.00 to 4.00 inches...with local totals in excess of 5.00 inches. The heavy rains produced flash flooding. Numerous roads were closed or damaged to varying extents due to washouts. Damage to bridges and culverts also occurred. Extensive road damage occurred in the vicinity of Winter Harbor and across the Schoodic Peninsula. Main Street in Winter Harbor was flooded with water up to the entrances of some businesses. Washouts and road closures were reported on Birch Harbor Road...Summer Harbor Road. Due to road damage...there was no access to portions of Acadia National Park on the Schoodic Peninsula. Near Prospect Harbor...both Route 186 and…

4. Sep 7, 2008Flood$450,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding transitioned to flooding during the morning hours. Flood waters then subsided during the early afternoon. Many roads were left damaged...debris covered and impassable once the waters receded.

5. Sep 7, 2008Flash Flood$450,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm total rainfall of 4.50 to 6.00 inches in less than 12 hours was common across Acadia National Park from Saturday evening through mid morning Sunday...with local totals in excess of 7.00 inches. A maximum total of 7.61 inches was reported at Bar Harbor. Flash flooding was reported from Bar Harbor to Northeast Harbor where many roads were closed and damaged...with 1 to 2 feet of water covering some roads. In the Bar Harbor area...Cromwell Brook Road...Cottage Street...West Street and Route 3 were all closed due to flash flooding. Elsewhere on Mount Desert Island...Seal Cove Road was flooded and heavily damaged in spots. Additional flooding was reported at Northeast Harbor…

6. Sep 7, 2008Flash Flood$450,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm total rainfall of 4.00 to 6.00 inches...with localized totals in excess of 7.00 inches...contributed to flash flooding across the region. Moore Road...the west entrance to Acadia National Park Schoodic Point...was washed out and impassable due to flash flooding. East Schoodic Drive...the east entrance to Acadia National Park Schoodic Point...was also washed out and impassable due to flash flooding.

7. Sep 7, 2008Flash Flood$450,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm total rainfall of 4.00 to 6.00 inches produced flash flooding in the Ellsworth area. State Street was flooded and a portion of Beechland Road was washed out.

8. Sep 30, 2015Flood$159,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall totals of 3.00 to 6.00...locally up to around 8.00...inches occurred during the 30th. This led to extensive urban and small stream flooding. Numerous road closures occurred due to flooding...with 4 to 5 feet of water covering some roads. Extensive damage to bridges and culverts also occurred. Flooding and damage was particularly extensive in the areas around Ellsworth and Bucksport. Additional flooding and flood related damage was reported in the towns of Dedham...Surry...Sullivan...Penobscot and Trenton. A small mudslide occurred along Route 1A near the Ellsworth and Dedham town line. Gusty winds and saturated soil also combined to topple trees on to power lines and some…

9. Aug 3, 2008Flash Flood$120,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms producing rainfall rates of several inches per hour contributed to flash flooding around Blue Hill. Rainfall totals of up to 4.50 inches were reported at Blue Hill in a short time. The heavy rains occurred at the time of high tide. With streams already full due to the high tide...runoff from the heavy rains had nowhere to drain. Storm drains were quickly overwhelmed and streams quickly overflowed. Water depths of 3 to 4 feet were reported in some low lying areas of Blue Hill submerging vehicles and flooding some buildings. A stream near the Blue Hill Memorial Hospital overflowed and flooded the basement of the hospital with around a half foot of water. A local…

10. Jan 10, 1997Storm Surge/Tide$38,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Low pressure moving northeastward from Georgia intensified off the coast of New England with storm force winds near the center and gale force winds extending to the Maine and New Hampshire coastlines. Astronomical high tides were occurring while the strong winds were hitting the coastline. At 11:26 EST, the Portland tide gauge read 12.6 feet, a foot above normal, and .6 feet above flood stage. Coastal flood damage due to the storm surge was light to moderate, but widespread, effecting the entire Maine and New Hampshire coastlines from the Merrimack River in Massachusetts to Eastport, Maine. Many piers in Maine were submerged. Route 1 at Lincolnville , Woolwich, Arrowsic, and…

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

102°FAug 2, 1975

All-time low

−30°FFeb 2, 1962

Warmest night

75°FJul 22, 2011

Coldest day

−6°F3 times, most recently Jan 14, 2004

Wettest day

5.98 inSep 11, 1954

Snowiest day

25.5 inDec 30, 1962

Hottest year

2010mean 48.2°F

Coldest year

1962mean 42.1°F

Wettest year

198365.24 in

Driest year

200124.58 in

Snowiest season

181.9 in1962-63

Station Bangor International Airport (USW00014606), 147 ft elevation, 28.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1953 to October 26, 2026; 99.8% 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 USW00014606.
• 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.
• 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.