Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit Maine: hurricane history

34 storms have passed within 50 km of Maine from 1858 to 2004, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Maine

The record holds 34 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Maine between 1858 and 2004. The busiest month is September, with 17 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 3 strength.

  • 34storms within 50 km
  • 2major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 11at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Maine?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression39%
Tropical storm2059%
Category 1515%
Category 2412%
Category 326%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity00%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Maine storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 5 in 1890s.1850s1870s1890s1910s1940s1960s1980s2000s

The 2000s only run to 2004, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1858, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s1
1860s4
1870s1
1880s2
1890s5
1900s1
1910s1
1920s1
1940s1
1950s4
1960s5
1970s3
1980s1
1990s3
2000s1

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 17 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May1Jun0Jul4Aug7Sep17Oct4Nov1Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun0
Jul4
Aug7
Sep17
Oct4
Nov1
Dec0

Strongest storms near Maine

  • Gerda (1969)7 September 1969 to 12 September 1969, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 980 hPa
  • Carol (1954)25 August 1954 to 1 September 1954, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 955 hPa
  • Edna (1954)5 September 1954 to 14 September 1954, Category 2 (95 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (110 kt), 943 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1869 (North Atlantic)26 September 1869 to 5 October 1869, peak Category 2 (90 kt)
  • Donna (1960)29 August 1960 to 14 September 1960, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 930 hPa
  • Bob (1991)16 August 1991 to 29 August 1991, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa

Most recent storms near Maine

  • Hermine (2004)27 August 2004 to 31 August 2004, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 1,002 hPa
  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa
  • Bertha (1996)5 July 1996 to 17 July 1996, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 960 hPa
  • Bob (1991)16 August 1991 to 29 August 1991, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa
  • Gloria (1985)16 September 1985 to 2 October 1985, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 920 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Notable storms near Maine with their own pages

  • Gerda (1969)7 September 1969 to 12 September 1969, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 980 hPa
  • Carol (1954)25 August 1954 to 1 September 1954, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 955 hPa
  • Edna (1954)5 September 1954 to 14 September 1954, peak Category 3 (110 kt), 943 hPa
  • Donna (1960)29 August 1960 to 14 September 1960, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 930 hPa
  • Bob (1991)16 August 1991 to 29 August 1991, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa
  • Gloria (1985)16 September 1985 to 2 October 1985, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 920 hPa
  • Bertha (1996)5 July 1996 to 17 July 1996, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 960 hPa
  • Esther (1961)10 September 1961 to 27 September 1961, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 919 hPa
  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa

Maine counties

Every county that a storm has come near is listed, most storms first. 16 of them have at least 3 storms and their own page.

CountyStormsStrongest near the county
York County23Category 3
Cumberland County22Category 2
Kennebec County20Category 2
Androscoggin County19Category 2
Sagadahoc County18Category 2
Lincoln County17Category 2
Oxford County16Category 1
Penobscot County16Category 2
Somerset County16Category 2
Hancock County15Category 2
Knox County14Category 2
Waldo County14Category 2
Aroostook County13Category 1
Piscataquis County13Category 1
Franklin County12Category 1
Washington County12Category 3

Other states

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