NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bar Harbor, 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
35 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bar Harbor, Maine since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 1
- 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 Bar Harbor
The strongest storm to pass near Bar Harbor was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Edna in 1954, whose centre came within 28 miles. The record near Bar Harbor begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 35 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Bar Harbor has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 160 Maine cities on this site. The only tornado within 25 miles was an F1 on August 14, 1977; its path came within 21 miles. Of the 160 Maine cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bar Harbor. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 1993, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bar Harbor.
Compare Bar Harbor's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bar Harbor
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 10 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 4 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | HeidiSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 10 | 42 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | FrancesOct 9 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 12 | 28 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 17 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormAug 10 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 60 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 11 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 26 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 23 | 40 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | 68 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bar Harbor: 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 Bar Harbor
By decade
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 1977 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bar Harbor
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Bar Harbor since 1993. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 2, 2022. The most recent report is from July 2, 2022.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bar Harbor
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Acadia Np, ME, 2 miles south of Bar Harbor at 470 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. October and November are the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 55.7 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (27.1 of 55.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 35 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. That 55.7 inches is more than at 45 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (96%). Holden, 26 miles northwest, has its own station (Bangor International Airport, ME): 41.8 inches a year, 13.9 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
Sea level at the Bar Harbor tide gauge, 3 miles from Bar Harbor, has risen 0.98 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1947 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 9.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 57 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 53 | 35 | 5.2 | 7 |
| May | 65 | 45 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 74 | 54 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 79 | 60 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 78 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 71 | 53 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Oct | 59 | 43 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 5.7 | 10 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 55.7 | 88 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Acadia Np, ME (470 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 Bar Harbor
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 19 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bar Harbor: 10 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $900,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 30, 2021. September has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 154 Maine cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Bar Harbor.
June 29, 2012: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Bar Harbor — 2 injured.
NWS: “Lightning injured 2 campers (1 male, 1 female) at the Blackwoods campground at Acadia National Park. The campers were in a tent when ball lightning struck a vehicle 30 feet away which then arced across to the tent striking both campers.”
September 7, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Bar Harbor — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “00 inches. 61 inches was reported at Bar Harbor.”
September 7, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bar Harbor — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “contributed to flash flooding across the region. was washed out and impassable due to flash flooding.”
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
Hancock County, which includes Bar Harbor, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on March 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hancock County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 9th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (31%), 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.