NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
34 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Aberdeen Proving Ground
The strongest storm to pass near Aberdeen Proving Ground was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Aberdeen Proving Ground begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 12 miles away. The 1870s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 34 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Aberdeen Proving Ground has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 239 Maryland cities on this site. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 12 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2021, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on November 2, 2018, killed 2 people. Of the 80, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Aberdeen Proving Ground. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Aberdeen Proving Ground.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Aberdeen Proving Ground
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 65 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 64 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 72 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 33 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Aberdeen Proving Ground: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Aberdeen Proving Ground
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s14
- 2000s13
- 1990s23
- 1980s5
- 1970s11
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 22 mi | 35.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 2004 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 2002 | F2 | 14 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 1993 | F2 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1981 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 29, 1980 | F2 | 4 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1959 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Aberdeen Proving Ground
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Aberdeen Proving Ground since 1980, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on August 18, 2011. The most recent report is from April 1, 2023. August has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Aberdeen Proving Ground
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Aberdeen Phillips Field, MD, 2 miles west of Aberdeen Proving Ground at 57 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 25°F. July and September are the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.2 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 47.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. That 47.2 inches is more than at 26 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (63%). Perryville, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Conowingo Dam, MD): 48.2 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, 18 miles east, averaged 84°F in July and 38°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Chesapeake City tide gauge, 18 miles from Aberdeen Proving Ground, has risen 1.76 ± 0.12 inches per decade from 1972 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 111 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 3.3 | 38 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 2.8 | 39 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 4.1 | 46 |
| Apr | 65 | 43 | 3.5 | 57 |
| May | 73 | 53 | 4.0 | 67 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 76 |
| Jul | 86 | 68 | 4.8 | 84 |
| Aug | 84 | 66 | 4.2 | 82 |
| Sep | 78 | 59 | 4.8 | 76 |
| Oct | 67 | 47 | 4.2 | 65 |
| Nov | 56 | 37 | 3.3 | 53 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 3.9 | 42 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 47.2 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Aberdeen Phillips Field, MD (57 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Aberdeen Proving Ground
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 304 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Aberdeen Proving Ground: 206 thunderstorm wind reports, 59 flash floods, 33 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 11, 2013. August has had the most flash floods, 23 of 59. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 154 have had fewer than Aberdeen Proving Ground.
August 31, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Aberdeen Proving Ground — 2 killed.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Aberdeen Proving Ground — 2 injured, $500,000 damage.
July 31, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Aberdeen Proving Ground — 2 injured, $250,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Harford County, which includes Aberdeen Proving Ground, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and coastal flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $51.4 million a year, the 7th highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.9 million (58%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Aberdeen Proving Ground
- Aberdeen, MD3 mi
- Belcamp, MD5 mi
- Havre De Grace, MD6 mi
- Churchville, MD8 mi
- Perryville, MD8 mi
- Abingdon, MD8 mi
- Edgewood, MD9 mi
- Earleville, MD10 mi
- Port Deposit, MD10 mi
- Bel Air, MD11 mi
- Joppa, MD12 mi
- Darlington, MD12 mi
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