NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Becket, 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
35 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Becket, Massachusetts since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Becket
The strongest storm to pass near Becket was Carol in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1938, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Becket begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 50 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 35 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site, 91% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Becket. The highest rating among the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 29, 1995, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on August 28, 1973, killed 4 people. Of the 43, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2022. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Becket. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Becket.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Becket
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 27 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 66 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 71 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 5 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 9 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 74 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Becket: 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 Becket
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1973 | F4 | 15 mi | 9.8 mi | 4 / 36 |
| May 29, 1995 | F4 | 11 mi | 11.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Jun 1, 2011 | EF3 | 23 mi | 37.58 mi | 3 / 200 |
| Sep 13, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 6 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 7 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1995 | F2 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 30, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 1966 | F2 | 25 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Becket
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Becket since 1955, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 3, 1997. The most recent report is from July 13, 2020. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Becket
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Worthington, MA, 10 miles northeast of Becket at 1,285 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 12°F. October is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 54.3 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (28.7 of 54.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 35 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (16); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 77.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.3 inches is more than at 64 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (98%). Lee, 7 miles west, has its own station (Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA): 44.3 inches a year, 10.0 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 12 | 4.0 | 8 | 19.3 |
| Feb | 35 | 13 | 3.6 | 8 | 18.2 |
| Mar | 43 | 21 | 4.3 | 7 | 13.8 |
| Apr | 55 | 32 | 4.3 | 8 | 4.0 |
| May | 67 | 43 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 75 | 52 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 56 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 55 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 47 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 36 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 4.1 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 36 | 19 | 5.2 | 8 | 16.7 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 54.3 | 93 | 77.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Worthington, MA (1,285 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 Becket
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Becket: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $378,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 24, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 22. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 197 have had fewer than Becket.
July 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Becket — 1 killed.
July 7, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Becket — 1 injured.
June 8, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Becket — 1 injured.
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
Berkshire County, which includes Becket, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1985, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 6 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Berkshire County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $51.8 million a year, the 10th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.4 million (80%), 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 Becket
- Lee, MA7 mi
- Hinsdale, MA8 mi
- Lenox, MA10 mi
- Huntington, MA11 mi
- Dalton, MA11 mi
- Pittsfield, MA13 mi
- Great Barrington, MA16 mi
- Cheshire, MA17 mi
- Williamsburg, MA17 mi
- Granville, MA18 mi
- Lanesboro, MA18 mi
- Southampton, MA20 mi
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