NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oakland, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Oakland, Maryland since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 21
- 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 Oakland
The strongest storm to pass near Oakland was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Oakland begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 73 miles away. The 1890s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site, 97% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Oakland. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 3, 1980, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 19, 1967, killed 1 person. Of the 21, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on May 11, 2024. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oakland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1986, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 239 Maryland cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oakland.
Compare Oakland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oakland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 73 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Oakland: 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 Oakland
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1967 | F3 | 4 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 4 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1977 | F2 | 4 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 3.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1996 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1985 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F1 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oakland
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Oakland since 1986, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 4, 2012. The most recent report is from August 7, 2023. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oakland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oakland 1 SE, MD, in Oakland at 2,420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 50.7 inches over 112 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (25.0 of 50.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 104.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.7 inches is more than at 40 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (98%). Terra Alta, WV, 9 miles west, has its own station (Terra Alta #1, WV): 57.1 inches a year, 6.4 more than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 18 | 3.9 | 11 | 30.2 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 3.6 | 9 | 22.0 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 4.3 | 10 | 19.6 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 4.3 | 10 | 3.7 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 5.3 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 56 | 4.9 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 58 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Nov | 52 | 30 | 3.4 | 8 | 6.4 |
| Dec | 42 | 24 | 4.3 | 10 | 21.4 |
| Year | 60 | 39 | 50.7 | 112 | 104.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oakland 1 SE, MD (2,420 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 Oakland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oakland: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 floods, 13 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $704,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on May 21, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 13. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 36 have had fewer than Oakland.
August 4, 2010: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Oakland — $100,000 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 Oakland's ZIP code 21550 have filed 62 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $778,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 18 claims (29% of all) and $326,000. 32% 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, 92 have fewer than Oakland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 18 | $326,000 |
Garrett County, which includes Oakland, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Garrett County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.8 million a year, the 24th highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (65%), 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 Oakland
- Terra Alta, WV9 mi
- Swanton, MD11 mi
- Albright, WV16 mi
- Accident, MD16 mi
- Kingwood, WV17 mi
- Friendsville, MD18 mi
- New Creek, WV19 mi
- Westernport, MD20 mi
- Bruceton Mills, WV20 mi
- Tunnelton, WV20 mi
- Grantsville, MD22 mi
- Keyser, WV23 mi
All Maryland cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Oakland with another place →