Maryland tornado risk
Baltimore has the highest tornado risk in Maryland, scoring 95.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA has recorded 76 tornado events across Maryland over the past decade.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 95.4 | Relatively High | 5 |
| 2 | Prince George's County | 95.1 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 3 | Anne Arundel County | 82 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 4 | Baltimore County | 80.4 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 5 | Montgomery County | 78.7 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 6 | Frederick County | 67.2 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 7 | Washington County | 62 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 8 | Cecil County | 48.6 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 9 | Howard County | 42.2 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 10 | St. Mary's County | 39.4 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 11 | Carroll County | 36.4 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 12 | Allegany County | 35.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 13 | Harford County | 35.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 14 | Wicomico County | 33.7 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 15 | Queen Anne's County | 33.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 16 | Talbot County | 31.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Dorchester County | 31 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 18 | Charles County | 29.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 19 | Caroline County | 24.1 | Very Low | 3 |
| 20 | Kent County | 23.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 21 | Garrett County | 21.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 22 | Calvert County | 17.3 | Very Low | 2 |
| 23 | Somerset County | 16.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 24 | Worcester County | 16.1 | Very Low | 4 |
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 Maryland:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Maryland?
Baltimore, MD has the highest tornado risk in Maryland, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 95.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes tornado risk in Maryland?
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.