Washington County

Every recorded tornado

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

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by ME GS (12).

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 Washington$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…

2. Jan 5, 1998Ice Storm, Interior Washington$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. Dec 14, 2010Flood$954,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The combination of 3.00 to 6.00 inches...with local totals to around 8.00 inches...of rain and record warmth which melted 1 to 2 feet of snow led to extensive flooding of rivers and streams across the region. Flooding closed many roads...with some roads remaining closed after the flooding subsided due to damage.|Extensive flood related damage was reported across Washington county. At the peak of the event numerous roads across the entire county were closed due to flooding. A vehicle in both Baring and Machias fell into sinkholes where water had undercut the roads...no injuries were reported in either incident. The Milltown Bridge International Border Crossing at Calais had to be…

4. Jun 9, 2021Flash Flood$323,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall totals generally ranged from 2.00 to 4.00 inches...with local totals in excess of 5.00 inches. These heavy rains produced flash flooding. Numerous roads were closed or damaged to varying extents due to washouts. Damage to bridges and culverts also occurred. Some residents were left isolated due to the washouts. Many roads were impacted in the Machias area. Both roads leading into and out of Roque Bluffs were washed out between Roque Bluffs and Jonesboro. Great Cove Road and Old Route 1 were both closed due to washouts in the vicinity of Jonesboro.

5. Sep 7, 2008Flash Flood$291,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm total rainfall of 4.00 to 6.00 inches...with local totals of around 7.00 inches produced flash flooding across the region. A maximum rainfall total of 7.09 inches was reported at Lubec. Flash flooding was reported on Route 1 near Perry...near Addison...along Route 1 between Jonesboro and Whiting...near Cutler and in Machias. Roads were closed and damaged across the region...with additional damage to culverts.

6. Sep 7, 2008Flash Flood$291,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm total rainfall of 4.00 to 6.00 inches...with localized totals of around 7.00 inches produced flash flooding across the region. Water was reported covering Route 1 near Gardner Lake and 2 feet of water was reported flowing across Route 192 at Great Brook.

7. Sep 7, 2008Flood$291,000
   National Weather Service narrative

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

8. Feb 19, 1998Ice Storm, Interior Washington$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large low pressure area in the Ohio Valley and a developing low off the New England Coast brought rain and freezing rain to parts of Eastern Maine. The greatest accretions of freezing rain occurred in elevated areas of southeastern Aroostook, central Penobscot, and northern Washington Counties. About 6700 homes in rural areas lost power during the storm; some remained without power for up to 5 days.

9. Jul 23, 1999Lightning$40,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning strikes caused a combined $40000 in damage to two boats.

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°F2 times, most recently Aug 12, 1944

All-time low

−41°FDec 30, 1933

Warmest night

75°F2 times, most recently Jul 23, 2022

Coldest day

−6°F3 times, most recently Jan 3, 2014

Wettest day

6.12 inAug 14, 2004

Snowiest day

26.0 inFeb 14, 2017

Hottest year

2016mean 49.1°F

Coldest year

1926mean 39.8°F

Wettest year

200569.48 in

Driest year

200128.82 in

Snowiest season

143.0 in1962-63

Station Woodland (USC00179891), 123 ft elevation, 20.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1917 to October 26, 2026; 91.3% 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 USC00179891.
• 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.
• 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.