NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Amherst, MA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
40 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Amherst, Massachusetts since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Henri in 2021. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
103 deaths in all
What the records show for Amherst
The strongest storm to pass near Amherst was Carol in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gloria in 1985, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Amherst begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Henri in 2021, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The 1860s and the 1890s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 40 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site, 91% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Amherst. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 3, 1979, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 9, 1953, killed 94 people. Of the 64, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on August 2, 2020. Amherst has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 346 Massachusetts cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Amherst has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 346 Massachusetts cities.
Compare Amherst's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Amherst
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 5 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 44 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 45 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 23 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 62 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 49 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Amherst: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Amherst
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s17(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | F4 | 20 mi | 34.9 mi | 94 / 1228 |
| Oct 3, 1979 | F4 | 24 mi | 11.3 mi | 3 / 500 |
| Jun 1, 2011 | EF3 | 19 mi | 37.58 mi | 3 / 200 |
| Oct 3, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 35.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 1971 | F3 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 9.7 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Jul 11, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1975 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1972 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1972 | F2 | 25 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 11, 1966 | F2 | 7 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1963 | F2 | 19 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Amherst
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Amherst since 1959, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on October 3, 1970. The most recent report is from September 6, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 24 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Amherst
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Amherst, MA, in Amherst at 145 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 14°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (25.4 of 46.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 40 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (16); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 153 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 46.6 inches is more than at 17 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (26%). South Deerfield, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Greenfield #3, MA): 49.3 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 14 | 3.4 | 7 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 37 | 15 | 2.9 | 6 | 11.0 |
| Mar | 45 | 24 | 3.5 | 7 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.0 |
| May | 70 | 45 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 55 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 58 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 29 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 21 | 3.9 | 7 | 7.5 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 46.6 | 83 | 36.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Amherst, MA (145 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Amherst
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 296 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Amherst: 241 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 lightning strikes, 17 floods and 16 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $6.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on June 2, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 16. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Amherst.
May 4, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Amherst — 6 injured, $85,000 damage.
NWS: “Five solar panels were blown from the roof of the three story Knowles Engineering Building at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In addition, six people were injured when two event tents were blown down at a barbeque at the university.”
May 21, 2013: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Amherst — 3 injured.
June 2, 2000: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Amherst — 1 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Hampshire County, which includes Amherst, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1985, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 6 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hampshire County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.3 million a year, the 11th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.8 million (67%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Amherst
- Hadley, MA2 mi
- Hatfield, MA3 mi
- Sunderland, MA5 mi
- Northampton, MA6 mi
- Florence, MA8 mi
- South Deerfield, MA8 mi
- Leeds, MA8 mi
- Granby, MA8 mi
- Belchertown, MA10 mi
- South Hadley, MA10 mi
- Easthampton, MA10 mi
- Montague, MA11 mi
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