States › Maryland › Charles County

Charles County, Maryland

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 24017 · 168,698 residents (2021) · 458 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 97Tornado · 28Flood · 90Wind · 482Winter · 121

Charles County within Maryland. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 1,021 storm events in Charles County, Maryland, led by damaging wind.

That is 223.0 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Maryland figure of 257.5, and 60.5 per 10,000 residents against 40.6 statewide.

28 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 165 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $137M and crop damage at $1.8M.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 24 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 361 claims since 1978, of which 243 were paid, totalling $6.5M (about $27K per paid claim). FEMA counts 547 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($23M a year across 18 hazards).

47 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

28events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,021events since 19502 deaths, 165 injuries recorded

24disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

361NFIP flood claims$6.5M paid

Compared with Maryland and the United States

Measure	Charles County	Maryland	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,021	25,002	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	223.0	257.5	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	60.5	40.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	28	758	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	2	228	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$137M	$1.5B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	2.1	4.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$27K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	13.5	8.2	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 3Wind: 3

Hail: 1Wind: 1

Tornado: 6Wind: 11

Hail: 4Wind: 8

Hail: 11Tornado: 3Flood: 6Wind: 47Winter: 12Tropical: 2Heat: 8Cold: 1Drought: 9Lightning: 2Fog: 1Other: 1

Hail: 40Tornado: 12Flood: 10Wind: 112Winter: 32Tropical: 2Heat: 17Cold: 12Drought: 3Lightning: 5Fog: 9Other: 22

Hail: 25Tornado: 6Flood: 39Wind: 177Winter: 60Tropical: 1Heat: 37Cold: 16Fog: 24

Hail: 13Tornado: 1Flood: 35Wind: 123Winter: 17Tropical: 1Heat: 17Cold: 5Fog: 8

61950s21960s171970s121980s1031990s2762000s3852010s2202020s

Recorded events in Charles County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 694 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 272 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind482

Winter121

Hail97

Flood90

Heat79

Fog42

Cold34

Tornado28

Other23

Drought12

Lightning7

Tropical6

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	482	1	4.9%	detail
■ Winter	121	—	2.6%	detail
■ Hail	97	—	6.1%	detail
■ Flood	90	—	2.5%	detail
■ Heat	79	—	6.1%
■ Fog	42	—	3.9%
■ Cold	34	—	3.4%
■ Tornado	28	1	6.4%	detail
■ Other	23	—	2.9%
■ Drought	12	—	2.7%
■ Lightning	7	—	2.2%
■ Tropical	6	—	4.2%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
28 Apr 2002	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$114M	—	1	122	County
15 Jun 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$5K	—	1	—	County
18 Sep 2003	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$5.7M	$10K	—	41	Forecast zone
16 Jun 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$100	—	—	1	County
18 Jul 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	—	—	—	1	County
29 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$5.0M	—	—	—	County
1 Nov 1998	Drought	Drought	—	—	$1.7M	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Sep 1996	Storm Surge/Tide	Tropical	—	$1.6M	$5K	—	—	County
27 Aug 2011	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$1.3M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
28 Apr 2002	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
29 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	70 mph	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
29 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	70 mph	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 2012	High Wind	Wind	60 mph	$969K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
14 May 2010	Hail	Hail	1.75 in	$750K	—	—	—	County
25 May 2001	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$500K	—	—	—	County
27 Jun 2015	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$500K	—	—	—	County
13 Jul 1975	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
29 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	70 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
25 Aug 1999	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$200K	—	—	—	County
13 Jul 1996	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$150K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Jan 2026	EM-3634	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Mar 2020	DR-4491	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3430	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
4 Mar 2016	DR-4261	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
20 Nov 2012	DR-4091	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3349	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
2 Aug 2012	DR-4075	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
5 Oct 2011	DR-4038	Major disaster	Flood	Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee	Public assistance
16 Sep 2011	DR-4034	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
27 Aug 2011	EM-3335	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
6 May 2010	DR-1910	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms	Public assistance
19 Feb 2010	DR-1875	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
13 Sep 2005	EM-3251	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
19 Sep 2003	DR-1492	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Isabel	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Mar 2003	EM-3179	Emergency	Severe Storm	Snow	Public assistance
1 May 2002	DR-1409	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornado	Individual assistance, Public assistance
10 Apr 2000	DR-1324	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
24 Sep 1999	DR-1303	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations	Individual assistance, Public assistance
11 Jan 1996	DR-1081	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
16 Mar 1994	DR-1016	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Weather And Ice Storms	Public assistance
16 Mar 1993	EM-3100	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Jan 1977	DR-524	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Ice Conditions	Individual assistance
4 Oct 1975	DR-489	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Jun 1972	DR-341	Major disaster	Flood	Tropical Storm Agnes	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Charles County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978361

Paid claims243

Total paid$6.5M

Average paid claim$27K

Repetitive-loss properties345 severe

Residential policies in force5470.9% of 58,526 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2024	4	2	$18,909	$9,454
2023	2	1	$3,361	$3,361
2022	2	0	$0	—
2021	15	11	$211,994	$19,272
2020	11	6	$138,749	$23,125
2019	8	7	$127,247	$18,178
2018	30	15	$279,094	$18,606
2017	2	0	$0	—
2016	5	1	$1,495	$1,495
2015	3	2	$9,644	$4,822
2014	12	6	$37,449	$6,242
2013	3	2	$23,007	$11,504
2012	8	1	$4,362	$4,362
2011	49	30	$826,537	$27,551
2010	5	2	$2,141	$1,070
2009	4	3	$11,329	$3,776
2008	13	10	$43,269	$4,327
2007	2	0	$0	—
2006	36	31	$707,012	$22,807
2004	2	2	$6,060	$3,030
2003	90	74	$3,578,116	$48,353
1999	6	4	$38,474	$9,618
1998	1	1	$864	$864
1996	16	11	$282,900	$25,718
1994	4	3	$17,995	$5,998

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 44.1 of 100

Expected annual loss$23MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$10,897,184
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$2,373,942
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$2,284,904
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,909,793
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$1,152,083
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$965,097
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$923,665
Tornado	Relatively Low	$784,667
Hail	Relatively Low	$326,386
Cold wave	Very Low	$297,510
Coastal flooding	Relatively Low	$273,931
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$217,646
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$82,347
Wildfire	Very Low	$11,449
Landslide	Very Low	$4,714

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles47

Tracks within 50 miles14

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	82 mi	58 mph
Isaias	2020	55 mi	69 mph
Zeta	2020	79 mi	52 mph
Andrea	2013	86 mi	46 mph
Hanna	2008	50 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	25 mi	46 mph
Gaston	2004	91 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	99 mi	69 mph
Bertha	1996	51 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	78 mi	63 mph
Dean	1983	94 mi	46 mph
David	1979	94 mi	46 mph
Doria	1971	93 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1963	48 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	94 mi	58 mph
Brenda	1960	94 mi	58 mph
Connie	1955	49 mi	69 mph
Diane	1955	63 mi	46 mph
Able	1952	71 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	65 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	12 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	44 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	95 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	23 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	51 mi	46 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

20664 75
20601 50
20677 46
20603 37
20646 36
20625 21
20695 21
20612 16
20645 16
20602 9
20616 8
20640 8
20662 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Charles County, MD?

NCEI records 97 hail events in Charles County since 1950, in 34 different years; that is about 1.3 recorded events a year. 20 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Charles County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 28 tornadoes in Charles County since 1950, 3 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Charles County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Charles County, and how much was paid?

361 NFIP claims since 1978, 243 of them paid, for $6.5M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Charles County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Charles County compare with the rest of Maryland?

223.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 257.5 statewide, and 2.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 4.1. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 29 Sep 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.