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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Crofton, 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

36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Crofton, Maryland since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
3

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
33

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
105

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
2

4 deaths in all

What the records show for Crofton

The strongest storm to pass near Crofton was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Crofton begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 36 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Crofton has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 14% of the 239 Maryland cities on this site. The highest rating among the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 24, 2001, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on November 2, 2018, killed 2 people. Of the 105, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on July 31, 2025. Crofton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 239 Maryland cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1971, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Crofton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 239 Maryland cities.

Compare Crofton's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Crofton

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Crofton, Maryland, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020ZetaOct 2953 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 3
2020IsaiasAug 429 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 1
2012SandyOct 3065 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 3
2008HannaSep 651 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
2006ErnestoSep 2overheadTropical storm (45 mph)Category 1
1996BerthaJul 1353 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1992DanielleSep 2649 miTropical storm (43 mph)Tropical storm
1963Unnamed 1963 stormJun 362 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1955DianeAug 1838 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 2
1955ConnieAug 136 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1954HazelOct 1543 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 4
1952AbleSep 139 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2957 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 1817 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormAug 344 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1943Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1overheadTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1923 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1933Unnamed 1933 stormAug 2426 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 4
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2overheadTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 2058 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 5
1928Unnamed 1928 stormAug 1275 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 422 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 1
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 1568 miTropical storm (71 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormOct 1273 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 19 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23overheadTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 1473 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2930 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1155 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1368 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2324 miCategory 1 (91 mph)Category 2
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 462 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 3
1876Unnamed 1876 stormSep 1845 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 2959 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 2655 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1863Unnamed 1863 stormSep 1968 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Crofton: 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 Crofton

By decade

  • 2020s16
  • 2010s24
  • 2000s17(1 EF3+)
  • 1990s32
  • 1970s10
  • 1960s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s2
Strongest tornadoes near Crofton, Maryland
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Sep 24, 2001F313 mi17.5 mi2 / 55
Jun 9, 1961F313 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Sep 1, 2021EF29 mi11.43 mi0 / 0
Jul 23, 2017EF218 mi2.37 mi0 / 1
Oct 5, 1995F219 mi2.5 mi0 / 3
Jul 27, 1994F210 mi7 mi0 / 0
Jun 27, 1978F222 mi6.9 mi0 / 0
Jun 16, 1973F223 mi0.1 mi0 / 4
Sep 12, 1971F211 mi3 mi0 / 0
Nov 2, 2018EF119 mi2.72 mi2 / 1
May 16, 2025EF119 mi4.34 mi0 / 0
Jun 5, 2024EF115 mi3.34 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Crofton

The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Crofton since 1971, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 2, 1998. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. June and July have the most reports, 19 each.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Crofton since 2019 →

Weather by month in Crofton

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Baltimore Wash International Airport, MD, 11 miles north of Crofton at 156 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.0 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (24.0 of 45.0 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 36 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal October there has highs of 68°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.0 inches is more than at 15 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (37%). Davidsonville, 6 miles south, has its own station (Upper Marlboro 3 NNW, MD): 45.1 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Annapolis, MD, 11 miles east, averaged 85°F in July and 42°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Annapolis tide gauge, 11 miles from Crofton, has risen 1.52 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1928 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 15.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 92 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Baltimore Wash International Airport, MD
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow inWater °F
Jan43253.166.442
Feb46272.967.542
Mar55344.072.850
Apr67443.460.059
May76533.970.068
Jun84634.070.078
Jul89684.570.085
Aug87664.160.084
Sep80594.460.078
Oct68473.950.069
Nov57373.150.158
Dec48303.762.547
Year674645.07519.363

Averages for 1991–2020 at Baltimore Wash International Airport, MD (156 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Annapolis, 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.

Maryland weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Crofton

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 453 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Crofton: 362 thunderstorm wind reports, 55 floods, 34 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on November 17, 2010. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 34. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Crofton.

  • June 30, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Crofton — 1 killed, $300,000 damage.

  • May 19, 2015: flood 10 miles from the centre of Crofton — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.

  • January 31, 2013: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Crofton — 1 killed.

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

Flood insurance policyholders in Crofton's ZIP code 21114 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $19,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 150 Maryland cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 13 have fewer than Crofton.

Anne Arundel County, which includes Crofton, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 6 hurricanes, 4 floods, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Anne Arundel County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $74.7 million a year, the 5th highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.3 million (45%), 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 Crofton