Penobscot County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Penobscot 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 (9).

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 Penobscot$35.0 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, Central Penobscot$5.0 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. Jan 5, 1998Heavy Snow, Northern Penobscot$3.0 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 30, 2008Flood$481,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain and the melting of a record snowpack led to flooding along the East Branch of the Penobscot River near Grindstone. The river crested around 2 feet above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland wooded areas bordering the river along with portions of Route 11. The monetary value represents the total damages to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county. The flooding continued into May.

5. May 1, 2008Flood$481,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain which fell in late April along with the melting of a near record snowpack across northern portions of the county led to significant flooding across Penobscot county. The flooding initially began along smaller rivers and streams across northern portions of the county. These tributaries then flowed into the Penobscot River which flows south through the county. Flooding increased southward across the county as the flood crest moved south along the river.|Flooding was reported along the Penobscot River at Lincoln...Greenbush...Costigan...Milford...Old Town...West Enfield and Eddington. Much of the flooding along the Penobscot River affected…

6. Apr 30, 2008Flood$481,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain and the melting of a record snowpack led to flooding of the Seboeis River near Shin Pond. |The river crested around a half foot above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland wooded areas bordering the river. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county.

7. Apr 30, 2008Flood$481,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain...the influx of water from tributary rivers and the melting of snow in headwater areas led to flooding of the Penobscot River at West Enfield. The river crested at slightly over 3.5 feet above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland areas bordering the river in the vicinity of West Enfield. The flooding continued into May. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county.

8. Apr 19, 2008Flood$481,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Melting snow contributed to rising levels on the Mattawamkeag River which eventually led to a prolonged interval of mostly lowland flooding along the river. This flooding affected mostly the Bancroft Road between the towns of Wytopitlock and Danforth and several camps along the river. However...3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain fell across the region toward the end of the month...along with continued snow melt...which enhanced the flooding. The late month flooding led to the evacuation of 15 homes in Mattawamkeag. The flooding continued into May. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure for all of Penobscot county. In this instance the damage occurred late…

9. Apr 29, 2008Flood$481,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain along with the melting of a near record snowpack across northern portions of the county contributed to significant flooding across the county. The flooding initially began along smaller rivers and streams across northern portions of the county. These tributaries then flowed into the Penobscot River which flows south through the county. Flooding increased southward across the county as the flood crest moved south along the Penobscot River.|Flooding was reported along the Penobscot river at Lincoln...Greenbush...Costigan...Milford...Old Town...West Enfield and Eddington.|Much of the flooding along the Penobscot river affected mostly…

10. May 1, 2008Flood$481,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A combination of 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain which fell in late April...the influx of water from tributary rivers and the melting of snow in headwater areas led to flooding of the Penobscot River at Eddington. The river crested at around 1.50 feet above flood stage. The flooding affected mostly lowland areas bordering the river. The monetary value represents the total damage to public infrastructure across all of Penobscot county from the late April and early May flooding.

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, 10.2 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.
• 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.