NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Swanton, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Swanton, Maryland since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Swanton
The strongest storm to pass near Swanton was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Swanton begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 65 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site, 97% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Swanton. The strongest of the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 31, 1998, killed 1 person. Of the 25, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on August 31, 2024. Of the 239 Maryland cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Swanton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1992, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 239 Maryland cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Swanton.
Compare Swanton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Swanton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 64 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 6 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 Swanton: 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 Swanton
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2000s4
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 22 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 20 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 15 |
| May 19, 1967 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1977 | F2 | 15 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F2 | 22 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 5, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 3.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Swanton
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Swanton since 1992, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 7, 2023. The most recent report is from August 7, 2023. May and July have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Swanton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Savage Rvr Dam, MD, 4 miles northeast of Swanton at 1,495 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (21.3 of 41.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. That 41.4 inches is more than at 3 of the 41 Maryland stations used on this site (7%). Westernport, 9 miles east, has its own station (Keyser 2 SSW, WV): 41.4 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 89°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 3.7 | 9 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 4.6 | 10 |
| Jun | 77 | 56 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 41.4 | 86 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Savage Rvr Dam, MD (1,495 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 Swanton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Swanton: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 8 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $739,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 7, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 239 Maryland cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 10 have had fewer than Swanton.
August 4, 2010: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Swanton — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency management reported numerous trees, power poles and power lines down in and around Deep Creek Lake Park.”
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Swanton — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Considerable wind damage was reported along of MD-135 Maryland Highway between Swanton and Luke. Many roads in the area were closed due to downed trees and wires.”
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
Garrett County, which includes Swanton, 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 Swanton
- Westernport, MD9 mi
- Oakland, MD11 mi
- Accident, MD12 mi
- Grantsville, MD13 mi
- Keyser, WV14 mi
- New Creek, WV15 mi
- Friendsville, MD17 mi
- Terra Alta, WV18 mi
- Frostburg, MD18 mi
- Burlington, WV19 mi
- Salisbury, PA19 mi
- Albright, WV23 mi
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