Nor'easters and tide flooding shape Portland alerts, and Cumberland County winter storm, coastal flood and tropical warnings show what is in effect
Portland gets nor'easters and tide flooding, and tornadoes are rare: 12 in the record within 25 miles, the latest in July 2017. An unnamed hurricane in 1869 is the strongest storm to pass near.
No National Weather Service watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for the center of Portland right now. Portland is in Cumberland County.
Severe weather and weather alerts in Portland right now, with tornado warning, flood warning and heat advisory status
Each row is checked against the National Weather Service alerts for the center of the city, which is in Cumberland County.
| Alert type | Right now |
|---|---|
| Tornado warning or watch | None in effect |
| Severe thunderstorm warning or watch | None in effect |
| Flood warning, flood watch or flash flood warning | None in effect |
| Winter storm warning, blizzard or ice storm | None in effect |
| Heat advisory or excessive heat warning | None in effect |
| Hurricane or tropical storm warning or watch | None in effect |
A watch means conditions are possible, so be ready. A warning means the hazard is happening or expected soon, so act now. What watches, warnings and advisories mean →
Tornado history near Portland
Every tornado in the official record that started within 25 miles of the city center, 1953 to 2025.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Date | Rating | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 22, 1974 | EF1 | 0 | 1 |
| July 28, 2014 | EF1 | 0 | 0 |
| November 24, 2005 | EF1 | 0 | 0 |
| July 24, 1972 | EF1 | 0 | 0 |
| July 11, 1958 | EF1 | 0 | 0 |
Most have come from June through August. The single busiest month is July (58% of the total).
Counts use each tornado's starting point and are limited to the official record, so they cover where tornadoes began, not every place they passed. A tornado that crosses a state line is listed once for each state. Ratings are the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, assigned after National Weather Service damage surveys. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Past counts do not predict the next tornado.
Hurricanes and tropical storms near Portland
Storms whose center passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) with at least 39 mph winds, 1851 to 2025.
| Storm | Date | Winds at closest pass | Strength | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed (1869) | October 4, 1869 | 105 mph | Category 2 | 8 mi |
| Bob (1991) | August 20, 1991 | 70 mph | Tropical storm | 35 mi |
| Unnamed (1961) | September 15, 1961 | 70 mph | Tropical storm | 31 mi |
| Unnamed (1880) | October 23, 1880 | 70 mph | Tropical storm | 64 mi |
| Unnamed (1874) | September 30, 1874 | 70 mph | Tropical storm | 46 mi |
Winds are the storm's maximum sustained winds when its center was closest to the city center in the six-hourly record, not the winds felt in the city, which depend on the storm's size and which side of it you were on. Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2.
Flood zone map for Portland
Flood zones are mapped by FEMA, and they are set street by street, so the city center cannot tell you whether your address is in one. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center lets you search an address and see its flood zone.
Be ready in Portland
Steps from official sources, with each point linked to the page it comes from.
- Know your evacuation zone by contacting your local government or emergency management office. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- Build an emergency kit and check equipment such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- Write or review a family emergency plan: how you will reach each other, where you will go and what you will do. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters. Turn around, don't drown. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Never drive around the barriers blocking a flooded road. The road may have collapsed under the water. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Evacuate immediately when water starts to rise, and get to higher ground if you are in a flood-prone or low-lying area. (NWS: During a flood)
- When thunder roars, go indoors. Move from outdoors into a building or a car with a roof. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Avoid using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet, and avoid running water. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not drive through flooded roadways. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a vehicle away. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illness. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- If your home has no air conditioning, find a cooling center, take cool showers or baths, and drink plenty of fluids. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day. Check on family members, older adults and neighbors. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- A winter storm watch means conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm: heavy sleet, heavy snow, an ice storm, or a combination. (NWS: Winter watches, warnings and advisories)
- In a winter storm warning, travel can become difficult or impossible. Delay travel until conditions improve. (NWS: Winter watches, warnings and advisories)
- In a blizzard warning, do not travel. If you must, carry a winter survival kit. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle and wait for help. (NWS: Winter watches, warnings and advisories)
- Heavy ice can bring down trees, utility poles and communication towers, and power and communication outages can last days. (NWS: Ice and Frost)
- Even a thin layer of ice is dangerous to drivers and pedestrians, and bridges and overpasses freeze before other surfaces. (NWS: Ice and Frost)
- Black ice is a thin, patchy layer on roads that is hard to see, most common in early morning, especially when melted snow refreezes overnight. (NWS: Ice and Frost)
Nearby cities
Common questions about weather in Portland
What county is Portland, ME in?
Portland is in Cumberland County, Maine.
Is there a tornado watch, tornado warning, winter storm, ice storm, snow or other weather warning in Portland, ME and the rest of Cumberland County right now?
The National Weather Service has no active alerts for the center of Portland right now. An alert can cover only part of Cumberland County, so the Maine alerts page lists every county with an active National Weather Service alert.
What happened in the EF1 tornado near Portland, ME on June 22, 1974?
It is the strongest tornado in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center record that started within 25 miles of the center of Portland. It was rated EF1, caused no deaths and 1 injury, and began in Maine. Of the 12 tornadoes that started that close since 1950, 0 were rated EF2 or stronger. Ratings before 2007 use the original Fujita scale.
How many tornadoes have started within 25 miles of Portland, ME?
12 tornadoes from 1953 through 2025, 7 of them since 2000. In the last 10 years (2016 to 2025) there were 1, and 2017 was the busiest year with 1. Most came from June through August, and July is the busiest single month (58% of the total). One tornado that crosses a county or state line can appear as two records.
When did a tornado last start near Portland, ME?
The most recent tornado in the database that started within 25 miles of the center of Portland began on July 1, 2017 and was rated EF0. The database runs through 2025, so it does not include anything after that.
What is the strongest hurricane to pass near Portland, ME?
An unnamed storm in 1869 is the strongest on record: winds of 105 mph (Category 2) at its closest recorded position on October 4, 1869, about 8 miles away. In all, 16 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) of Portland since 1851, 1 of them with hurricane-strength winds. September has the most (50%). Wind and damage in the city itself depend on a storm's size and path.
Alerts come from the National Weather Service, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the National Hurricane Center.