Oxford County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by ME GS (70).

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, Southern Oxford$28.0 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. Dec 18, 2023Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Catastrophic flooding on the Androscoggin River resulting from 5 to 6 inches of rainfall and 2 to 3 inches of snowmelt. The river rose 17��� in roughly 12 hours, cresting at 22.1 feet. The record is 24��� set in 1936. Access in and out of the region was cut off for days, including both Route 2 and 108 running on either side of the river. The Flooding started upstream in Gorham, reaching major severity in Bethel and continuing through Rumford and downstream through Mexico, Canton, Peru, Dixfield, Jay, and Livermore Falls. The flood severity was impacted by record flooding from the Ellis and Swift River tributaries from the north. Numerous swift water rescues were needed…

3. Jan 5, 1998Ice Storm, Northern Oxford$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…

4. Apr 16, 2007Flood$2.7 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…

5. Jun 26, 2023Flash Flood$2.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Considerable flash flooding occurred in Andover on the morning of the 26th after 3 and 6 inches of rain fell along the south facing slopes of the Wyman Mountain. Abbott Brook was redirected and severely impacted Wyman Hill Road and personal property along it. At one stretch along Wyman Hill Rd, Abbott Brook was diverted and is running directly down the middle of the road. More than a dozen residents were impacted, leaving people without road access. The main bridge at Wyman Hill Rd and Cross Rd was washed out. There was also one water rescue in Andover as a vehicle got stuck in the flood waters. The runoff caused the Ellis River to climb above flood stage cresting at 17.29…

6. Jul 11, 2007Flash Flood$2.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain from a series of thunderstorms fell in steep terrain and caused flash flooding. Rainfall estimates from Doppler RADAR indicated that 6 to 8 inches of rain fell in 3 hours. The most damage occurred in Bethel where a reservoir on Chapman Brook was destroyed. This reservoir was the public water supply for Bethel. Route 26 in Newry, as well as the Upper Skiway Road at the Sunday River Ski Area, were washed out. A woman was rescued from her car after it was carried off the Summit Road when Barker Brook flooded at the Sunday River Ski Area. Route 113 in Gilead was closed due to road washouts and landslides. A bridge on Route 113 was damaged. Route 2 in Bethel was closed due…

7. Dec 18, 2023Flood$1.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Catastrophic flooding occurred in and around Bethel after a storm brought 7 to 10 inches of combined rain and snowmelt to the region. The Androscoggin River only reached minor flood stage at the upstream river gage in Gorham, yet the contribution of flows from the mountains in between the two towns were sufficient to cause the river to reach major flood levels. Estimates put the Androscoggin River flows somewhere between the 0.5 to 0.2% annual chance exceedance levels, otherwise referred to as the 200 to 500 year floods. The tributaries out of the mountains are estimated to have exceeded 500 year flood levels including the Moose Brook, Moose River, Peabody River, Wild River, and…

8. May 1, 2023Flood$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Androscoggin River reached flood stage during the morning of May 1. Flood waters out of Gorham flooded areas from Gilead, to extensive flooding in Bethel and Rumford. Flooding started at North Road in Gilead, followed by Route 26 in Bethel between Cross Street and Intervale Road. In Rumford, South Rumford Road flooded. Low spots flood along the Swift and Androscoggin Rivers in Mexico and Rumford flooded including parks and boat launches. The USGS river gage in Rumford crested at 15.76 feet, less than a foot above flood stage.

9. Oct 21, 1996Flash Flood$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A coastal storm which was fed tropical moisture by the circulation around Hurricane Lily produced between 1 and 7 inches of rain throughout the County during a 30-hour period. Many homes and businesses were flooded and roads and bridges were washed out, particularly in the southern part of the County.

10. Jul 6, 2011Lightning$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A lightning strike ignited a fire that heavily damaged the main lodge at the Mt. Abram Ski Resort. Damage was estimated at 1 million dollars.

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

98°F5 times, most recently Jul 5, 1983

All-time low

−44°F2 times, most recently Dec 31, 1917

Warmest night

78°FJul 4, 1889

Coldest day

−14°F2 times, most recently Jan 9, 1968

Wettest day

6.50 inSep 17, 1999

Snowiest day

29.0 inFeb 6, 2001

Hottest year

2012mean 46.8°F

Coldest year

1888mean 39.0°F

Wettest year

195458.00 in

Driest year

194826.36 in

Snowiest season

127.0 in1995-96

Station Berlin (USC00270690), 920 ft elevation, 30.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1886 to October 26, 2026; 98.8% 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 USC00270690.
• 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.