NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Assonet, 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
57 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Assonet, Massachusetts since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 37 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 45
- Tornadoes
- 37
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Assonet
The strongest storm to pass near Assonet was Edna in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 109 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Bob in 1991, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Assonet begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 49 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 57 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Assonet has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site. The strongest of the 37 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 9, 1953; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 37, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Assonet. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Assonet.
Compare Assonet's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Assonet
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 2 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 42 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 38 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 39 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 4 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 6 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 26 | 70 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 14 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 59 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 29 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 35 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 23 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 36 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Assonet: 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 Assonet
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s5
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1980s5
- 1970s4
- 1960s5
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | F3 | 19 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 28, 1970 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 18, 1967 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2023 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2018 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 37, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Assonet
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Assonet since 1974, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 18, 2012. The most recent report is from August 15, 2024. July has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Assonet
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Taunton Municipal Airport, MA, 6 miles north of Assonet at 43 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 19°F. March is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (23.8 of 47.7 inches). September has brought the most of the 57 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. That 47.7 inches is more than at 23 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (35%). Dighton, 4 miles west, has its own station (Taunton, MA): 48.9 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Fall River, MA, 8 miles southwest, averaged 75°F in July and 38°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Providence tide gauge, 17 miles from Assonet, has risen 1.04 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1938 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 10.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 58 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 19 | 3.7 | 7 | 41 |
| Feb | 41 | 21 | 3.0 | 7 | 38 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 5.2 | 7 | 42 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 4.3 | 8 | 49 |
| May | 70 | 46 | 3.2 | 7 | 58 |
| Jun | 79 | 55 | 3.9 | 7 | 68 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 3.1 | 6 | 75 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 3.6 | 6 | 75 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 4.4 | 6 | 71 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 4.5 | 7 | 63 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 4.3 | 7 | 53 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 4.5 | 8 | 44 |
| Year | 62 | 39 | 47.7 | 82 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Taunton Municipal Airport, MA (43 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Fall River, MA, 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 Assonet
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 164 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Assonet: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 floods, 27 flash floods and 17 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 10, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 27. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 245 have had fewer than Assonet.
May 21, 2006: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Assonet — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
July 23, 2008: lightning strike in Assonet — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck a delivery truck driver, injuring him, at the Stop and Shop. No information was available on his age.”
July 23, 2008: lightning strike in Assonet — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 54 year old woman was struck by lightning in her cellar. She suffered some numbness in her fingers and right leg, but was otherwise uninjured.”
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 Assonet's ZIP code 02702 have filed 33 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $148,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March 2010 Nor'easter in 2010: 10 claims (30% of all) and $48,000. 70% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 229 Massachusetts cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 98 have fewer than Assonet.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| March 2010 Nor'easter2010 | 10 | $48,000 |
Bristol County, which includes Assonet, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on May 15, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bristol County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $87.3 million a year, the 8th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $61.9 million (71%), 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.