States › Maine › Lincoln County

Lincoln County, Maine

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

FIPS 23015 · 35,828 residents (2021) · 456 sq mi · dominant hazard Winter

Hail · 21Tornado · 2Flood · 38Wind · 129Winter · 169

Lincoln County within Maine. 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 433 storm events in Lincoln County, Maine, led by winter storms and snow.

That is 95.0 events per 100 square miles, above the Maine figure of 51.9, and 120.9 per 10,000 residents against 116.6 statewide.

13 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 2 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $25M and crop damage at $1.1M.

FEMA has designated the county in 30 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms And Flooding (major disaster, 20 Mar 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 149 claims since 1978, of which 105 were paid, totalling $3.6M (about $35K per paid claim). FEMA counts 321 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" ($11M a year across 18 hazards).

35 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.

13events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

433events since 19500 deaths, 2 injuries recorded

30disaster declarationslast 20 Mar 2024

149NFIP flood claims$3.6M paid

Compared with Maine and the United States

Measure	Lincoln County	Maine	US
Recorded events since 1950	433	16,001	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	95.0	51.9	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	120.9	116.6	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	13	583	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	0	39	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$25M	$737M	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	4.2	4.1	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$35K	$21K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	22.1	19.4	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

Tornado: 1

Hail: 1

Hail: 1Wind: 6

Hail: 8Flood: 5Wind: 30Winter: 19Tropical: 3Heat: 2Cold: 8Drought: 4Lightning: 4Other: 2

Hail: 5Flood: 21Wind: 56Winter: 72Tropical: 1Cold: 12Drought: 5Lightning: 14

Hail: 5Flood: 4Wind: 25Winter: 53Tropical: 1

Hail: 1Flood: 8Wind: 12Winter: 25Tropical: 2Cold: 2Drought: 14

11950s11960s11970s71980s851990s1862000s882010s642020s

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

Trend: 213 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 208 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

Winter169

Wind129

Flood38

Drought23

Cold22

Hail21

Lightning18

Tropical7

Tornado2

Heat2

Other2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Winter	169	—	2.7%	detail
■ Wind	129	—	2.7%	detail
■ Flood	38	—	2.4%	detail
■ Drought	23	—	4.4%
■ Cold	22	—	2.4%
■ Hail	21	—	1.7%	detail
■ Lightning	18	—	8.4%
■ Tropical	7	—	5.8%
■ Tornado	2	—	1.4%
■ Heat	2	—	0.9%
■ Other	2	—	3.2%

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
30 Jun 2000	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
5 Aug 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
10 Jan 2024	Coastal Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
13 Jan 2024	Coastal Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
5 Jan 1998	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
23 Dec 2022	Coastal Flood	Flood	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Apr 2007	Flood	Flood	—	$1.9M	—	—	—	County
16 Apr 2007	Coastal Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
2 Jul 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
11 Dec 2008	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$556K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
1 Sep 2020	Drought	Drought	—	—	$500K	—	—	Forecast zone
1 Oct 2020	Drought	Drought	—	—	$500K	—	—	Forecast zone
1 May 2023	Flood	Flood	—	$476K	—	—	—	County
9 Oct 2005	Flood	Flood	—	$300K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
3 Aug 2008	Lightning	Lightning	—	$300K	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 1963	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
2 Jul 2009	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$235K	—	—	—	County
21 Dec 2013	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$147K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Apr 2008	Flood	Flood	—	$128K	—	—	—	County
4 Jan 2018	Coastal Flood	Flood	—	$125K	—	—	—	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
20 Mar 2024	DR-4764	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Sep 2023	EM-3598	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Lee	Public assistance
6 Jul 2023	DR-4719	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storm And Flooding	Public assistance
4 Apr 2020	DR-4522	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3444	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
2 Jan 2018	DR-4354	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm And Flooding	Public assistance
13 Sep 2011	DR-4032	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Irene	Public assistance
25 Mar 2010	DR-1891	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
30 Jul 2009	DR-1852	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Public assistance
9 Jan 2009	DR-1815	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Flooding	Public assistance
15 Dec 2008	EM-3298	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
9 May 2008	DR-1755	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
25 Apr 2007	DR-1693	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Inland And Coastal Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Apr 2007	DR-1691	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding	Public assistance
19 Sep 2005	EM-3256	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
29 Jun 2005	DR-1591	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, And Ice Jams	Public assistance
14 May 2003	DR-1468	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Winter Cold And Frost	Public assistance
20 Mar 2001	EM-3164	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
13 Jan 1998	DR-1198	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Ice Storms, Rains And High Winds	Individual assistance, Public assistance
11 May 1993	DR-988	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rain, Snowmelt, Ice Jams & Flooding	Public assistance
15 Mar 1993	EM-3099	Emergency	Snowstorm	Blizzards, Severe Winds & Snowfall, Coastal Storm	Public assistance
7 Nov 1991	DR-921	Major disaster	Coastal Storm	Coastal Storm	Individual assistance
28 Aug 1991	DR-915	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Bob & Flooding	Individual assistance
9 Apr 1987	DR-788	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Sep 1980	EM-3082	Emergency	Fishing Losses	Red Tide-Toxic Algae	Individual assistance
17 Feb 1978	DR-550	Major disaster	Flood	High Winds, Tidal Surge & Coastal Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Jan 1974	DR-410	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Sep 1972	DR-356	Major disaster	Fishing Losses	Toxic Algae In Coastal Waters	Individual assistance
7 Mar 1972	DR-326	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Feb 1970	DR-284	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Ice Jams & 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 Lincoln County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978149

Paid claims105

Total paid$3.6M

Average paid claim$35K

Repetitive-loss properties101 severe

Residential policies in force3211.6% of 19,634 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2024	58	44	$2,449,321	$55,666
2023	2	1	$20,811	$20,811
2022	6	3	$160,647	$53,549
2018	5	5	$456,246	$91,249
2016	1	0	$0	—
2015	1	0	$0	—
2014	1	1	$92,111	$92,111
2011	1	0	$0	—
2010	4	2	$4,927	$2,463
2009	1	0	$0	—
2008	1	1	$7,427	$7,427
2007	6	3	$26,058	$8,686
2005	3	1	$619	$619
2003	1	0	$0	—
2002	1	0	$0	—
2001	2	1	$1,080	$1,080
2000	2	1	$15,344	$15,344
1998	1	1	$3,436	$3,436
1997	6	5	$95,378	$19,076
1992	2	2	$18,268	$9,134
1991	7	7	$64,182	$9,169
1990	4	3	$23,614	$7,871
1987	4	4	$17,522	$4,380
1986	9	5	$30,408	$6,082
1981	2	0	$0	—

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 31.8 of 100

Expected annual loss$11MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Low

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very Low	$3,513,305
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$3,240,301
Coastal flooding	Relatively Moderate	$1,125,451
Ice storm	Relatively High	$996,245
Winter weather	Relatively High	$449,695
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$332,362
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$320,999
Earthquake	Very Low	$245,770
Strong wind	Very Low	$150,401
Tornado	Very Low	$146,847
Hail	Very Low	$116,827
Drought	Relatively Low	$34,965
Heat wave	Very Low	$34,539
Wildfire	Very Low	$7,112
Landslide	Very Low	$2,315

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 miles35

Tracks within 50 miles13

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	60 mi	46 mph
Hanna	2008	77 mi	52 mph
Floyd	1999	34 mi	52 mph
Bertha	1996	27 mi	63 mph
Bob	1991	14 mi	69 mph
David	1979	73 mi	52 mph
Carrie	1972	97 mi	58 mph
Heidi	1971	45 mi	46 mph
Esther	1961	14 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	30 mi	69 mph
Frances	1961	83 mi	52 mph
Cindy	1959	92 mi	52 mph
Edna	1954	72 mi	81 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1952	57 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	52 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	44 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	90 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	85 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	73 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1908	41 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	95 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	95 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1897	72 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1896	30 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1894	65 mi	52 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

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 Lincoln County, ME?

NCEI records 21 hail events in Lincoln County since 1950, in 15 different years; that is about 0.3 recorded events a year. 0 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Lincoln County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 2 tornadoes in Lincoln County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Lincoln County?

20 Mar 2024: Severe Storms And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 30 declarations since 1953.

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

149 NFIP claims since 1978, 105 of them paid, for $3.6M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Lincoln 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 Low" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Lincoln County compare with the rest of Maine?

95.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 51.9 statewide, and 4.2 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.