Maine tornado risk
York County has the highest tornado risk in Maine, scoring 46.5 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Low" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | 46.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 2 | Penobscot County | 32.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 3 | Kennebec County | 25.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | 25.5 | Very Low | 4 |
| 5 | Androscoggin County | 19.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 6 | Oxford County | 16.7 | Very Low | 3 |
| 7 | Somerset County | 16.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 8 | Hancock County | 15.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 9 | Aroostook County | 15.7 | Very Low | 2 |
| 10 | Waldo County | 15.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 11 | Lincoln County | 14.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 12 | Sagadahoc County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 13 | Knox County | 12.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 14 | Franklin County | 12.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 15 | Washington County | 11 | Very Low | 1 |
| 16 | Piscataquis County | 8.9 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Maine:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Maine?
York County, ME has the highest tornado risk in Maine, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 46.5 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Low").
What causes tornado risk in Maine?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.