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.
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, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
97 deaths in all
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 (52 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
- 2020s3
- 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 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Athol while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.