Howard County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Howard County, MD right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 1,250 alerts that included Howard County, roughly 125 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (294 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on August 10, 2026. 19 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Howard County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Carroll County, Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County.
Howard County alert history
Alert events that included Howard County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 294 | 41 | September 4, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 135 | 7 | August 2, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 110 | 20 | October 16, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 108 | 1 | July 22, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 90 | 3 | March 16, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 79 | 4 | March 2, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 67 | 5 | May 25, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 55 | 5 | July 16, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 50 | 5 | October 26, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 37 | 2 | July 21, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 35 | 4 | November 14, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 24 | 3 | April 21, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 22 | 4 | August 10, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 22 | 2 | February 22, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 20 | 5 | August 20, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 15 | 2 | July 4, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 15 | 0 | November 16, 2025 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 15 | 2 | February 22, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 14 | 3 | July 4, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 13 | 0 | November 16, 2025 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 13 | 9 | February 9, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 9 | 1 | February 7, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 6 | 0 | February 16, 2025 |
| Blizzard Warning | 1 | 0 | January 22, 2016 |
| Tropical Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | August 3, 2020 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 0 | 1 | February 7, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 0 | 1 | February 7, 2026 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 0 | 2 | January 1, 2026 |
Tornado history in Howard County
19 tornadoes have been recorded in Howard County since 1950, killing 2 people and injuring 58. That ranks 10 of 24 counties in Maryland. The most recent was on June 5, 2024 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Howard County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2001 | F3 | Prince George's County | 17.5 mi | 200 yd | 2 | 55 |
| November 2, 2018 | EF2 | Howard County | 5.5 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 31, 1978 | F2 | Howard County | 0.8 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 23, 2019 | EF1 | Howard County | 5.5 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 1 |
| May 30, 2019 | EF1 | Howard County | 4.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 5, 2024 | EF0 | Howard County | 0.9 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 29, 2021 | EF0 | Howard County | 0.3 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 2019 | EF1 | Howard County | 4.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 23, 2019 | EF1 | Howard County | 5.5 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 1 |
| November 2, 2018 | EF2 | Howard County | 5.5 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Howard County
- Population: 339,668 (2024 estimate)
- State: Maryland
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 024027 (how to use it)