NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Port Deposit, 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
34 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Port Deposit, Maryland since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Port Deposit
The strongest storm to pass near Port Deposit was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Port Deposit begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 3 miles away. The 1870s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 34 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Port Deposit has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 14% of the 239 Maryland cities on this site. The strongest of the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on July 27, 1994; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on September 5, 1979, killed 1 person. Of the 83, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on September 4, 2025. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Port Deposit. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Port Deposit.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Port Deposit
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 66 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 68 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 31 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Port Deposit: 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 Port Deposit
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s11
- 2000s11
- 1990s24(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s13
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 1994 | F3 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 18 mi | 35.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 2004 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 2002 | F2 | 5 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 1993 | F2 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 9, 1989 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 15, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Port Deposit
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Port Deposit since 1969, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on August 18, 2011. The most recent report is from August 17, 2025. April and August have the most reports, 9 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Port Deposit
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Conowingo Dam, MD, 5 miles northwest of Port Deposit at 40 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 25°F. September is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.5 of 48.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 5.1 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 106 nights a year. That 48.2 inches is more than at 36 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (88%). Havre De Grace, 5 miles south, has its own station (Aberdeen Phillips Field, MD): 47.2 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 88°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, MD, 16 miles southeast, averaged 84°F in July and 38°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Chesapeake City tide gauge, 16 miles from Port Deposit, has risen 1.76 ± 0.12 inches per decade from 1972 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 111 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 25 | 3.6 | 8 | 38 |
| Feb | 43 | 26 | 2.6 | 6 | 39 |
| Mar | 51 | 34 | 4.2 | 8 | 46 |
| Apr | 64 | 44 | 3.4 | 7 | 57 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 3.9 | 8 | 67 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 | 76 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 4.7 | 7 | 84 |
| Aug | 85 | 67 | 4.5 | 6 | 82 |
| Sep | 79 | 60 | 5.1 | 7 | 76 |
| Oct | 67 | 48 | 4.5 | 6 | 65 |
| Nov | 55 | 37 | 3.2 | 6 | 53 |
| Dec | 45 | 31 | 4.0 | 7 | 42 |
| Year | 64 | 46 | 48.2 | 82 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Conowingo Dam, MD (40 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Chesapeake City, 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 Port Deposit
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 405 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Port Deposit: 299 thunderstorm wind reports, 47 floods, 44 flash floods, 8 lightning strikes and 7 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $45.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 11, 2013. July has had the most flash floods, 16 of 44. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Port Deposit.
September 18, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Port Deposit — 2 killed.
September 1, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Port Deposit — 1 killed, $41.0 million damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Port Deposit — 2 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A gust front outrunning a cluster of severe thunderstorms entered near Port Deposit in western Cecil County at approximately 11:27 pm EDT on the 29th. This gust front produced damaging wind gusts estimated from 65 to 70 mph as it traversed eastward across the county.”
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 Port Deposit's ZIP code 21904 have filed 111 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 29 claims (26% of all) and $396,000. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 37. 35% 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, 116 have fewer than Port Deposit.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 29 | $396,000 |
Cecil County, which includes Port Deposit, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cecil County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.2 million a year, the 13th highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.6 million (46%), 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 Port Deposit
- Perryville, MD4 mi
- Havre De Grace, MD5 mi
- Rising Sun, MD6 mi
- Conowingo, MD6 mi
- North East, MD7 mi
- Darlington, MD7 mi
- Aberdeen, MD9 mi
- Nottingham, PA9 mi
- Churchville, MD10 mi
- Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD10 mi
- Peach Bottom, PA11 mi
- Oxford, PA13 mi
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