NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Athol, 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
41 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Athol, Massachusetts since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
97 deaths in all
What the records show for Athol
The strongest storm to pass near Athol was Carol in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gloria in 1985, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Athol begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 73 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems. Of the 41 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site, 87% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Athol. The strongest of the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 9, 1953; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 94 people. Of the 59, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on September 6, 2025. Athol has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 346 Massachusetts cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Athol.
Compare Athol's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Athol
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 3 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 36 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 31 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 73 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 41 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 49 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 51 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 | 38 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 51 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 Athol: 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 Athol
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s5
- 2000s4
- 1990s5
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | F4 | 8 mi | 34.9 mi | 94 / 1228 |
| Oct 3, 1970 | F3 | 16 mi | 35.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1981 | F3 | 11 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 20, 1963 | F3 | 23 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1979 | F2 | 18 mi | 9.7 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Jul 11, 2006 | F2 | 10 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1972 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1972 | F2 | 5 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 6, 1969 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1963 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1963 | F2 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1963 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Athol
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Athol since 1962, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on May 22, 2013. The most recent report is from June 6, 2025. August has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Athol
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tully Lake, MA, 4 miles north of Athol at 680 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°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 47.6 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 47.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 41 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (16); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 159 nights a year. Snowfall averages 52.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.6 inches is more than at 22 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (34%). Orange, 4 miles west, has its own station (Orange Municipal Airport, MA): 42.1 inches a year, 5.5 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 14 | 3.6 | 8 | 14.3 |
| Feb | 37 | 15 | 2.9 | 7 | 12.5 |
| Mar | 45 | 24 | 3.9 | 7 | 9.4 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.0 |
| May | 71 | 47 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 3.6 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 4.1 | 7 | 11.8 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 47.6 | 85 | 52.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tully Lake, MA (680 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 Athol
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 121 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Athol: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 lightning strikes, 4 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $848,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 21, 2022.
August 3, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Athol — 3 injured, $20,000 damage.
July 6, 2019: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Athol — 2 injured.
January 13, 2018: flood 2 miles from the centre of Athol — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “As reported by the Greenfield Recorder: a mass of ice broke free on the Millers River in Athol early the morning of the 13th. Additional ice broke free on the river near L.”
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
Worcester County, which includes Athol, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1985, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 7 snowstorms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on May 15, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Worcester County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $162.8 million a year, the 3rd highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $89.6 million (55%), 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.