States › Maryland › Frederick County

Frederick 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 24021 · 279,835 residents (2021) · 661 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 86Tornado · 38Flood · 311Wind · 692Winter · 236

Frederick 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 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 1,624 storm events in Frederick County, Maryland, led by damaging wind.

That is 245.8 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Maryland figure of 257.5, and 58.0 per 10,000 residents against 40.6 statewide.

42 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 16 deaths and 23 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $78M and crop damage at $25M.

FEMA has designated the county in 23 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 271 claims since 1978, of which 200 were paid, totalling $2.1M (about $10K per paid claim). FEMA counts 501 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" ($50M a year across 18 hazards).

27 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.

42events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,624events since 195016 deaths, 23 injuries recorded

23disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

271NFIP flood claims$2.1M paid

Compared with Maryland and the United States

Measure	Frederick County	Maryland	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,624	25,002	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	245.8	257.5	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	58.0	40.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	42	758	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	16	228	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$78M	$1.5B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	1.0	4.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$10K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	15.0	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: 1Tornado: 3Wind: 4

Hail: 3Tornado: 5Wind: 6

Hail: 1Tornado: 3Wind: 13

Hail: 3Tornado: 2Wind: 19

Hail: 12Tornado: 7Flood: 19Wind: 66Winter: 22Heat: 8Cold: 2Drought: 9Lightning: 3Other: 3

Hail: 26Tornado: 8Flood: 45Wind: 148Winter: 62Tropical: 1Heat: 19Cold: 21Drought: 3Lightning: 19Fog: 20Other: 19

Hail: 31Tornado: 7Flood: 164Wind: 251Winter: 106Tropical: 1Heat: 15Cold: 33Fog: 51

Hail: 9Tornado: 3Flood: 83Wind: 185Winter: 46Heat: 4Cold: 9Lightning: 1Fog: 20

81950s141960s171970s241980s1511990s3912000s6592010s3602020s

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

Trend: 1,155 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 389 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

Wind692

Flood311

Winter236

Fog91

Hail86

Cold65

Heat46

Tornado38

Lightning23

Other22

Drought12

Tropical2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	692	2	7.1%	detail
■ Flood	311	6	8.8%	detail
■ Winter	236	1	5.2%	detail
■ Fog	91	1	8.3%
■ Hail	86	—	5.4%	detail
■ Cold	65	—	6.4%
■ Heat	46	2	3.6%
■ Tornado	38	—	8.7%	detail
■ Lightning	23	2	7.3%
■ Other	22	2	2.8%
■ Drought	12	—	2.7%
■ Tropical	2	—	1.4%

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
27 Jun 2006	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	5	1	County
7 Jul 2005	Heavy Rain	Other	—	—	—	2	—	County
19 Jun 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	1	—	County
11 Aug 2021	Lightning	Lightning	—	$300K	—	1	—	County
31 Dec 2007	Freezing Fog	Fog	—	$5K	—	1	—	Forecast zone
2 Jul 2002	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
3 Aug 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
5 Dec 2003	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
15 Mar 2015	Strong Wind	Wind	46 mph	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
21 Jul 2019	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
23 Dec 2022	High Wind	Wind	58 mph	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
1 Aug 2006	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	5	Forecast zone
15 May 2018	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$43M	—	—	—	County
10 Jul 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	69 mph	—	—	—	3	County
18 Sep 2003	High Wind	Wind	58 mph	$30K	$100K	—	2	Forecast zone
27 Apr 1988	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	2	County
3 Aug 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	2	County
12 Jul 2003	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	2	County
19 Jan 1996	Flood	Flood	—	$15M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
1 Jul 1997	Drought	Drought	—	—	$14M	—	—	Forecast zone

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
25 Jun 2018	DR-4374	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	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
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
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
10 Apr 2000	DR-1324	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
17 Sep 1996	DR-1139	Major disaster	Hurricane	Severe Storms And Flooding Assoc With Tropical Storm Fran	Individual assistance
23 Jan 1996	DR-1094	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	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
14 Sep 1979	DR-601	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Oct 1976	DR-522	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public 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
17 Aug 1971	DR-309	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	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 Frederick County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978271

Paid claims200

Total paid$2.1M

Average paid claim$10K

Repetitive-loss properties256 severe

Residential policies in force5010.6% of 88,569 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2025	2	2	$7,776	$3,888
2024	1	1	$4,575	$4,575
2022	2	1	$6,337	$6,337
2021	8	5	$88,678	$17,736
2020	1	0	$0	—
2019	10	7	$52,574	$7,511
2018	49	37	$434,549	$11,745
2017	1	1	$2,105	$2,105
2016	1	0	$0	—
2015	5	4	$42,563	$10,641
2014	4	1	$5,663	$5,663
2013	1	0	$0	—
2012	5	3	$18,060	$6,020
2011	7	3	$16,480	$5,493
2010	4	1	$16,040	$16,040
2009	4	1	$750	$750
2008	2	0	$0	—
2006	4	4	$79,241	$19,810
2004	2	1	$1,465	$1,465
2003	9	4	$10,082	$2,521
2001	1	0	$0	—
2000	2	2	$18,895	$9,447
1998	2	1	$6,408	$6,408
1997	1	1	$990	$990

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 74.2 of 100

Expected annual loss$50MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$32,236,722
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$3,496,516
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$3,099,251
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$2,604,152
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$2,020,825
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$1,691,430
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,228,389
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$1,057,605
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$898,243
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$710,396
Winter weather	Relatively High	$644,887
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$151,192
Wildfire	Very Low	$18,765
Landslide	Relatively Low	$6,643
Avalanche	Very Low	$66

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 miles27

Tracks within 50 miles11

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Ida	2021	98 mi	40 mph
Sandy	2012	48 mi	63 mph
Ernesto	2006	48 mi	46 mph
Danielle	1992	80 mi	40 mph
David	1979	62 mi	46 mph
Connie	1955	50 mi	58 mph
Diane	1955	28 mi	46 mph
Hazel	1954	52 mi	81 mph
Able	1952	16 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	74 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	84 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	93 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	32 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	26 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	54 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	65 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1928	36 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	56 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	95 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1896	59 mi	69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	86 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	65 mi	75 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	49 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	91 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1885	46 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

21701 65
21777 60
21702 22
21788 18
21727 15
21703 14
21717 9
21769 8
21773 8
21793 8
21704 7
21710 6
21716 6

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 Frederick County, MD?

NCEI records 86 hail events in Frederick County since 1950, in 35 different years; that is about 1.1 recorded events a year. 13 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Frederick County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 38 tornadoes in Frederick County since 1950, 4 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Frederick County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 23 declarations since 1953.

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

271 NFIP claims since 1978, 200 of them paid, for $2.1M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Frederick 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 "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Frederick County compare with the rest of Maryland?

245.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 257.5 statewide, and 1.0 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 1 Oct 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 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.