Wicomico County, Maryland Tropical Cyclone History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Wicomico County, Maryland as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1856, 31 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Wicomico County, Maryland — about one every 5.5 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Elsa (2021), which passed 8 miles away on 9 July 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.5

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 2TS / TD · 29

The 31 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentElsa (2021) — 8 mi away, 9 July 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1894) — 70 kt (81 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDanielle (1992) — 5.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles18 of 31
Peak monthSeptember — 13 storms (42% of all)
Most active year1882 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1856–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Wicomico County, Maryland, September is the most active month, with 13 of the 31 recorded storms (42%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 77% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 31 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	3	4	7	13	4	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 5 storms in 1950–1987 against 10 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	2	2	5	2	1	0	0	0	2	1	3	1	0	3	4	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Elsa (2021)	9 Jul 2021	7.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Isaias (2020)	4 Aug 2020	42.6 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Irene (2011)	28 Aug 2011	39.0 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Hanna (2008)	6 Sep 2008	21.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Ivan (2004)	18 Sep 2004	21.1 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Gaston (2004)	31 Aug 2004	40.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Allison (2001)	17 Jun 2001	35.6 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Floyd (1999)	16 Sep 1999	31.1 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Bertha (1996)	13 Jul 1996	20.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Danielle (1992)	26 Sep 1992	5.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Doria (1971)	28 Aug 1971	15.6 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1963)	3 Jun 1963	32.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	18.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	7.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Connie (1955)	13 Aug 1955	40.5 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	3 Aug 1944	23.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1943)	1 Oct 1943	33.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	15 Sep 1904	15.7 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	40.1 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	23 Oct 1893	14.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	25 Sep 1889	44.9 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	2 Jul 1886	21.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	23 Jun 1886	41.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	23 Sep 1882	13.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	11 Sep 1882	19.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	29 Sep 1874	14.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	26 Oct 1872	15.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	19 Sep 1863	9.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	27 Sep 1861	10.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	17 Sep 1859	26.4 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	20 Aug 1856	30.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 16 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here. Showing the 9 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Chantal (2025)	Remnant low	7 Jul 2025	35.4 mi	20 kt
Zeta (2020)	Post-tropical	29 Oct 2020	21.7 mi	45 kt
Ana (2015)	Remnant low	12 May 2015	34.3 mi	30 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	18.7 mi	40 kt
Cindy (2005)	Post-tropical	8 Jul 2005	27.2 mi	25 kt
Jeanne (2004)	Post-tropical	29 Sep 2004	12.9 mi	28 kt
Charley (2004)	Post-tropical	15 Aug 2004	46.3 mi	38 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 2000	21.9 mi	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	26.4 mi	65 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1856–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Wicomico County, Maryland compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Wicomico County, Maryland ranks #502 — more exposed than 77.3% of them. Within Maryland it ranks #3 of 24, against a state average of 20.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 40 miles away on 10 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Irene (2011) passed 39 miles away on 28 August 2011 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1904) passed 16 miles away on 15 September 1904 as a tropical storm, reaching 63 kt (72 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Floyd (1999) passed 31 miles away on 16 September 1999 as a tropical storm, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.

30 of the 31 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 31 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025. 3 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 39 years, between 1904 and 1943. It has been 4 years since the last one; 9 of the 27 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Wicomico County, Maryland?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Wicomico County, Maryland at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 31.

When was the last hurricane in Wicomico County, Maryland?

Irene (2011), on 28 August 2011, passing 39 miles away — 15 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Elsa (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Wicomico County, Maryland?

Unnamed Storm (1894), which reached 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 40 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Wicomico County, Maryland?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.5 years — 31 storms over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Wicomico County, Maryland borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Worcester County, Maryland has 36 on record.

Worcester County, Maryland36 storms within 50 mi Somerset County, Maryland36 storms within 50 mi Sussex County, Delaware31 storms within 50 mi Dorchester County, Maryland26 storms within 50 mi