States › Maryland › Talbot County

Talbot 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 24041 · 37,626 residents (2021) · 269 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 24Tornado · 5Flood · 35Wind · 317Winter · 133

Talbot 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.

The NCEI record lists 810 events for Talbot County, Maryland, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 301.6 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Maryland figure of 257.5, and 215.3 per 10,000 residents against 40.6 statewide.

27 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 5 deaths and 49 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $9.7M and crop damage at $2K.

FEMA has designated the county in 20 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 677 claims since 1978, of which 524 were paid, totalling $14M (about $27K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,771 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($13M a year across 18 hazards).

58 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

27events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

810events since 19505 deaths, 49 injuries recorded

20disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

677NFIP flood claims$14M paid

Compared with Maryland and the United States

Measure	Talbot County	Maryland	US
Recorded events since 1950	810	25,002	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	301.6	257.5	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	215.3	40.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	27	758	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	5	228	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$9.7M	$1.5B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	18.0	4.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$27K	$23K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	4.2	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: 2

Hail: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 1

Hail: 2Tornado: 2Wind: 9

Wind: 8

Hail: 3Tornado: 1Flood: 5Wind: 27Winter: 12Heat: 25Cold: 4Drought: 19Lightning: 3Fog: 8Other: 25

Hail: 10Tornado: 1Flood: 8Wind: 102Winter: 53Tropical: 4Heat: 31Cold: 14Drought: 31Wildfire: 1Lightning: 6Fog: 9Other: 24

Hail: 5Flood: 16Wind: 86Winter: 52Tropical: 1Heat: 19Cold: 8Drought: 9Wildfire: 1Lightning: 6Fog: 5Other: 15

Hail: 1Flood: 6Wind: 84Winter: 16Tropical: 1Heat: 7Lightning: 5Fog: 13Other: 2

21950s31960s131970s81980s1321990s2942000s2232010s1352020s

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

Trend: 457 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 313 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

Wind317

Winter133

Heat82

Other66

Drought59

Flood35

Fog35

Cold26

Hail24

Lightning20

Tropical6

Tornado5

Wildfire2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	317	—	3.2%	detail
■ Winter	133	2	2.9%	detail
■ Heat	82	2	6.3%
■ Other	66	—	8.3%
■ Drought	59	—	13.1%
■ Flood	35	—	1.0%	detail
■ Fog	35	1	3.2%
■ Cold	26	—	2.6%
■ Hail	24	—	1.5%	detail
■ Lightning	20	—	6.4%
■ Tropical	6	—	4.2%
■ Tornado	5	—	1.1%
■ Wildfire	2	—	10.0%

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
31 Oct 1997	Dense Fog	Fog	—	—	—	1	30	Forecast zone
28 Jul 2002	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
1 Jul 2002	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
26 Dec 2010	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
8 Jan 2011	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
25 Jun 1998	Dense Fog	Fog	—	—	—	—	8	Forecast zone
26 Jun 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	$1.0M	—	—	5	County
23 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	5	Forecast zone
18 Jul 2003	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
16 Sep 1999	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$3.5M	—	—	—	County
19 Sep 2003	Storm Surge/Tide	Tropical	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
28 Aug 2011	Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 2012	Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
26 Aug 2012	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
16 Feb 2003	Winter Storm	Winter	—	$400K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Aug 2011	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$250K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
1 Jul 2001	Lightning	Lightning	—	$150K	—	—	—	County
1 Sep 2006	Strong Wind	Wind	52 mph	$100K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Oct 2012	Strong Wind	Wind	55 mph	$100K	—	—	—	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
20 Nov 2012	DR-4091	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
28 Oct 2012	EM-3349	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	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
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 Talbot County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978677

Paid claims524

Total paid$14M

Average paid claim$27K

Repetitive-loss properties343 severe

Residential policies in force1,7719.7% of 18,228 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2024	22	16	$350,761	$21,923
2023	2	1	$258,217	$258,217
2021	33	25	$1,410,355	$56,414
2020	6	4	$54,706	$13,676
2019	3	2	$95,956	$47,978
2018	6	4	$102,579	$25,645
2017	2	1	$19,155	$19,155
2016	1	0	$0	—
2012	25	14	$831,644	$59,403
2011	16	11	$87,050	$7,914
2010	14	10	$111,789	$11,179
2009	3	1	$9,202	$9,202
2006	4	3	$9,740	$3,247
2005	1	0	$0	—
2004	1	1	$57,585	$57,585
2003	437	363	$10,275,888	$28,308
2000	1	1	$3,520	$3,520
1999	9	7	$29,788	$4,255
1998	5	4	$9,350	$2,337
1996	45	28	$386,095	$13,789
1995	1	0	$0	—
1991	2	2	$21,780	$10,890
1988	1	1	$500	$500
1985	5	2	$4,887	$2,443

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 riskVery Lowscore 42.4 of 100

Expected annual loss$13MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very Low	$3,169,036
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$2,954,927
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$1,584,428
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$1,241,094
Coastal flooding	Relatively Moderate	$1,080,836
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$662,414
Tornado	Relatively Low	$540,910
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$488,778
Earthquake	Very Low	$405,393
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$381,411
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$181,865
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$80,575
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$60,945
Hail	Very Low	$56,060
Landslide	Very Low	$75

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 miles58

Tracks within 50 miles14

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	44 mi	58 mph
Ida	2021	79 mi	40 mph
Fay	2020	96 mi	58 mph
Isaias	2020	80 mi	69 mph
Andrea	2013	93 mi	46 mph
Sandy	2012	80 mi	63 mph
Irene	2011	78 mi	75 mph
Hanna	2008	71 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	30 mi	46 mph
Gaston	2004	87 mi	40 mph
Jeanne	2004	80 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	70 mi	69 mph
Bertha	1996	31 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	44 mi	63 mph
Gloria	1985	94 mi	98 mph
Dean	1983	89 mi	46 mph
Doria	1971	50 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1963	38 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	57 mi	58 mph
Brenda	1960	47 mi	58 mph
Cindy	1959	100 mi	52 mph
Connie	1955	33 mi	69 mph
Diane	1955	70 mi	40 mph
Able	1952	72 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	54 mi	40 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

21654 232
21671 92
21663 88
21601 56
21662 49
21612 41
21673 39
21652 33
21665 19
21676 13
21647 8
21624 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 Talbot County, MD?

NCEI records 24 hail events in Talbot County since 1950, in 16 different years; that is about 0.3 recorded events a year. 7 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Talbot County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 5 tornadoes in Talbot County since 1950, 1 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Talbot County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 20 declarations since 1953.

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

677 NFIP claims since 1978, 524 of them paid, for $14M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Talbot County compare with the rest of Maryland?

301.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 257.5 statewide, and 18.0 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.