NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ridgely, 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
51 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ridgely, Maryland since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 48
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Ridgely
The strongest storm to pass near Ridgely was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Ridgely begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 50 miles away. Of the 51 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Ridgely has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 14% of the 239 Maryland cities on this site. The strongest of the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 1, 2023; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on July 21, 1983, killed 2 people. Of the 56, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ridgely. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1991, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 239 Maryland cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ridgely.
Compare Ridgely's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ridgely
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 64 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 72 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 63 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 27 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ridgely: 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 Ridgely
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s2
- 1990s19
- 1980s5
- 1970s9
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 14.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF2 | 23 mi | 35.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.37 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 6 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1977 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1971 | F2 | 11 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 27, 1967 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 8, 1984 | F1 | 22 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 14 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ridgely
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Ridgely since 1991, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 1, 1993. The most recent report is from May 23, 2016. May has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ridgely
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenwood 2NE, DE, 19 miles southeast of Ridgely at 45 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 25°F. September is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (24.9 of 46.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 51 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 46.3 inches is more than at 22 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (54%). Centreville, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Chestertown, MD): 46.1 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 25 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 2.9 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 54 | 33 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.6 |
| Apr | 65 | 42 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.2 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 58 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 46 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 46.3 | 75 | 12.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenwood 2NE, DE (45 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 Ridgely
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 165 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ridgely: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 10 heavy rain events, 8 floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 16, 2026. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 12. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 29 have had fewer than Ridgely.
July 12, 2022: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Ridgely — 1 killed, 1 injured.
October 29, 2012: flood 8 miles from the centre of Ridgely — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “The heavy rain that fell across Talbot County not only caused poor drainage flooding, but exacerbated the tidal flooding along the Chesapeake Bay. Nearly two dozen roadways were flooded and closed.”
August 26, 2012: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Ridgely — $500,000 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
Caroline County, which includes Ridgely, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 7 snowstorms, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Caroline County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.5 million a year, the 22nd highest of 24 Maryland counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.8 million (38%), is from hurricanes.
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.