NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ellicott City, 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
31 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ellicott City, Maryland since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 28
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Ellicott City
The strongest storm to pass near Ellicott City was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Ellicott City begins with an unnamed storm in 1872; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 72 miles away. Of the 31 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Ellicott City has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 14% of the 239 Maryland cities on this site. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on September 24, 2001, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on November 2, 2018, killed 2 people. Of the 119, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Ellicott City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 239 Maryland cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1970, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Ellicott City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 239 Maryland cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ellicott City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 32 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 64 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 8 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ellicott City: 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 Ellicott City
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s32
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s33(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2001 | F3 | 2 mi | 17.5 mi | 2 / 55 |
| Jul 19, 1996 | F3 | 16 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 9, 1961 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 2, 2018 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 23, 1979 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 21 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1978 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ellicott City
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Ellicott City since 1970, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 18, 1970. The most recent report is from May 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ellicott City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Baltimore Wash International Airport, MD, 10 miles southeast of Ellicott City 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. 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%). Columbia, 4 miles south, has its own station (Laurel 3 W, MD): 47.5 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Baltimore, MD, 13 miles east, averaged 83°F in July and 40°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Baltimore tide gauge, 13 miles from Ellicott City, has risen 1.30 ± 0.02 inches per decade from 1902 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 13.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 77 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 25 | 3.1 | 6 | 6.4 | 41 |
| Feb | 46 | 27 | 2.9 | 6 | 7.5 | 40 |
| Mar | 55 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.8 | 46 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 56 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 | 83 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 | 81 |
| Sep | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 77 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 | 68 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.1 | 57 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.5 | 45 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 45.0 | 75 | 19.3 | 61 |
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 Baltimore, 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 Ellicott City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 635 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ellicott City: 379 thunderstorm wind reports, 135 flash floods, 118 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $48.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 23, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 42 of 135. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 195 have had fewer than Ellicott City.
July 30, 2016: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Ellicott City — 2 killed, $22.4 million damage.
NWS: “The survey revealed clear signs of flooding both from the Patapsco River and from flash flooding within Ellicott City. Signs of flooding, including damaged pavement, were observed as far up as the intersection of Rogers Avenue and Frederick Road, where Hudson Branch came out of its banks.”
May 27, 2018: flash flood in Ellicott City — 1 killed, $10.5 million damage.
NWS: “Catastrophic flash flooding occurred in Ellicott City as a result of torrential short-term rainfall of 6-10 inches. One person died during a lull in the flooding when he attempted to help another person evacuate and was swept away.”
May 19, 2015: flood 10 miles from the centre of Ellicott City — 1 killed, $10,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Ellicott City's 2 ZIP codes have filed 291 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $15.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 104. 3% 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, 136 have fewer than Ellicott City.
Howard County, which includes Ellicott City, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Howard County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $52.0 million a year, the 6th 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 Ellicott City
- Columbia, MD4 mi
- Catonsville, MD5 mi
- Woodstock, MD5 mi
- Windsor Mill, MD6 mi
- Elkridge, MD6 mi
- Clarksville, MD7 mi
- Randallstown, MD8 mi
- Marriottsville, MD8 mi
- West Friendship, MD9 mi
- Jessup, MD9 mi
- Savage, MD9 mi
- Glenelg, MD9 mi
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