NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cumberland, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cumberland, Maryland since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Cumberland
The strongest storm to pass near Cumberland was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 42 miles. The record near Cumberland begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 47 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site, 85% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Cumberland. The strongest of the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1998, killed 1 person. Of the 24, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on June 17, 2025. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cumberland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 239 Maryland cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cumberland.
Compare Cumberland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cumberland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 74 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 42 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cumberland: 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 Cumberland
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s4
- 1990s8(2 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 3 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 12 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1969 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 10 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F1 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1973 | F1 | 10 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F1 | 24 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cumberland
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Cumberland since 1960, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently May 1, 2025. The most recent report is from May 1, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cumberland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cumberland 2, MD, 1 mile east of Cumberland at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 39.3 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (20.0 of 39.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.3 inches is more than at 1 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (2%). Frostburg, 9 miles west, has its own station (Frostburg 2, MD): 45.3 inches a year, 6.0 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 23 | 2.8 | 6 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 3.4 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 64 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 43 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 | 5.4 |
| Year | 64 | 43 | 39.3 | 79 | 28.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cumberland 2, MD (730 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. 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 Cumberland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 232 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cumberland: 169 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods, 29 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 2012. May has had the most flash floods, 18 of 33. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 108 have had fewer than Cumberland.
April 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cumberland — 4 injured, $500,000 damage.
June 30, 2001: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Cumberland — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two men were struck by lightning while on a boat dock.”
September 1, 2021: flood in Cumberland — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “10 feet at 7:15 PM on the first of September. Several businesses at Motor City and outside the levee protection north of Cumberland were flooded along with at least a couple homes in Locust Grove.”
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 Cumberland's ZIP code 21502 have filed 141 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 38 claims (27% of all) and $478,000, then Hurricane Fran in 1996 with 12. 37% 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, 126 have fewer than Cumberland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 38 | $478,000 |
| Hurricane Fran1996 | 12 | $192,000 |
Allegany County, which includes Cumberland, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 4 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 Allegany County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.0 million a year, the 19th highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (76%), 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.