NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Frostburg, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Frostburg, Maryland since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 20
- 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 Frostburg
The strongest storm to pass near Frostburg was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Frostburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 50 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site, 97% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Frostburg. The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1998, killed 1 person. Of the 20, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 7 each. The most recent tornado was on August 31, 2024. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Frostburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 239 Maryland cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Frostburg.
Compare Frostburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Frostburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 51 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 62 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 Frostburg: 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 Frostburg
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 2000s4
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 4 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 6 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 19 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1969 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 16 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F1 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1973 | F1 | 2 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F1 | 16 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2024 | EF0 | 6 mi | 0.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Frostburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Frostburg since 1960, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 28, 2010. The most recent report is from May 1, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Frostburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Frostburg 2, MD, in Frostburg at 2,170 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (22.3 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 72°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 72.1 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 45.3 inches is more than at 18 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (44%). Cumberland, 9 miles east, has its own station (Cumberland 2, MD): 39.3 inches a year, 6.0 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 3.4 | 7 | 19.0 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 3.0 | 7 | 19.0 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 4.0 | 8 | 14.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 4.0 | 9 | 1.8 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 5.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 55 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 41 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 2.9 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 38 | 24 | 3.4 | 7 | 13.0 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 45.3 | 89 | 72.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Frostburg 2, MD (2,170 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 Frostburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 211 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Frostburg: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 flash floods and 23 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.6 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, 25 of 42. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 132 have had fewer than Frostburg.
April 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind in Frostburg — 4 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Allegany County 911 Call Center took over 100 calls for trees, wires, and poles down across the northern part of the county, particularly in Midlothian, Mount Savage, Barrelville, Corriganville, Little Orleans and Bellegrove. Four people were injured by a falling tree.”
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Frostburg — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Hundreds of trees blew down near Lonaconing. Most roads in the area were impassable.”
September 1, 2021: flood 9 miles from the centre of Frostburg — $200,000 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 Frostburg's ZIP code 21532 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $44,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 15% 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, 11 have fewer than Frostburg.
Allegany County, which includes Frostburg, 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.