NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arundel, ME
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
37 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arundel, Maine since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Arundel
The strongest storm to pass near Arundel was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1869, whose centre came within 15 miles. The record near Arundel begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 49 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems. Of the 37 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Arundel has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 160 Maine cities on this site. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 10, 1966, came within 15 miles. Of the 15, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2014. Of the 160 Maine cities, 48% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Arundel. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Arundel has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 160 Maine cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arundel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 5 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 25 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 44 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 17 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 15 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Arundel: 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 Arundel
By decade
- 2010s4
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1963 | F2 | 20 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2010 | EF1 | 13 mi | 5.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2010 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 2006 | F1 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F1 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1976 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 22, 1974 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1956 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1953 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arundel
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Arundel since 1960, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 2, 1990. The most recent report is from August 22, 2020. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arundel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kennebunkport, ME, 3 miles south of Arundel at 20 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 13°F. October is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 52.0 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (26.2 of 52.0 inches). September has brought the most of the 37 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 69°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.9 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 52.0 inches is more than at 43 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (91%). Saco, 9 miles north, has its own station (Portland International Jetport, ME): 48.3 inches a year, 3.7 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 77°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Portland, ME, 21 miles northeast, averaged 63°F in August and 36°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Portland tide gauge, 21 miles from Arundel, has risen 0.78 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1912 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 7.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 37 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 13 | 3.7 | 8 | 13.3 | 39 |
| Feb | 35 | 14 | 3.7 | 7 | 13.3 | 36 |
| Mar | 41 | 23 | 4.7 | 8 | 9.8 | 39 |
| Apr | 52 | 32 | 4.7 | 8 | 1.3 | 44 |
| May | 62 | 43 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 | 50 |
| Jun | 71 | 52 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 | 57 |
| Jul | 77 | 58 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 61 |
| Aug | 76 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 63 |
| Sep | 69 | 49 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 | 62 |
| Oct | 59 | 38 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.1 | 57 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.7 | 50 |
| Dec | 39 | 20 | 4.8 | 8 | 10.4 | 43 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 52.0 | 88 | 48.9 | 50 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kennebunkport, ME (20 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Portland, ME, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Arundel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arundel: 46 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 14, 2020.
October 31, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Arundel — $2.0 million damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Arundel's ZIP code 04046 have filed 231 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from The "Halloween" Storm in 1991: 34 claims (15% of all) and $596,000, then April 2007 Nor'easter in 2007 with 30. The year with the most claims was 2024, with 67. 28% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 61 Maine cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 57 have fewer than Arundel.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| The "Halloween" Storm1991 | 34 | $596,000 |
| April 2007 Nor'easter2007 | 30 | $612,000 |
York County, which includes Arundel, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 31 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 6 floods, 6 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives York County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $55.7 million a year, the 2nd highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.9 million (46%), 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 Arundel
- Kennebunk, ME4 mi
- Biddeford, ME6 mi
- Wells, ME9 mi
- Saco, ME9 mi
- Old Orchard Beach, ME9 mi
- Alfred, ME12 mi
- Sanford, ME14 mi
- Scarborough, ME14 mi
- Cape Neddick, ME15 mi
- North Berwick, ME15 mi
- East Waterboro, ME16 mi
- Hollis Center, ME17 mi
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