NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fallston, 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
30 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fallston, Maryland since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 28
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Fallston
The strongest storm to pass near Fallston was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Fallston begins with an unnamed storm in 1863; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 3 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 30 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site, 85% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Fallston. The strongest of the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 9, 1961; its path came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on November 2, 2018, killed 2 people. Of the 74, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fallston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1970, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Fallston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 239 Maryland cities.
Compare Fallston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fallston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 50 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 19 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fallston: 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 Fallston
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s15
- 2000s11
- 1990s26
- 1980s1
- 1970s8
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1961 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 2004 | F2 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 59 |
| Jun 29, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1978 | F2 | 19 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1973 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 19, 1959 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 2, 2018 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.72 mi | 2 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fallston
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Fallston since 1970, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 23, 2015. The most recent report is from September 6, 2025. June has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fallston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Aberdeen Phillips Field, MD, 14 miles east of Fallston 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. 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%). Baldwin, 4 miles west, has its own station (Md Sci Ctr Baltimore, MD): 44.0 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 86°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Baltimore, MD, 19 miles southwest, 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, 19 miles from Fallston, 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 | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 3.3 | 41 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 2.8 | 40 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 4.1 | 46 |
| Apr | 65 | 43 | 3.5 | 56 |
| May | 73 | 53 | 4.0 | 66 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 75 |
| Jul | 86 | 68 | 4.8 | 83 |
| Aug | 84 | 66 | 4.2 | 81 |
| Sep | 78 | 59 | 4.8 | 77 |
| Oct | 67 | 47 | 4.2 | 68 |
| Nov | 56 | 37 | 3.3 | 57 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 3.9 | 45 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 47.2 | 61 |
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 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 Fallston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 585 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fallston: 403 thunderstorm wind reports, 117 flash floods, 58 floods and 7 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 29, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 44 of 117. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 186 have had fewer than Fallston.
August 31, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Fallston — 2 killed.
August 4, 2022: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Fallston — 1 killed.
August 18, 2017: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Fallston — 10 injured.
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 Fallston's ZIP code 21047 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $54,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 6% 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, 18 have fewer than Fallston.
Harford County, which includes Fallston, 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.