NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bennington, VT
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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bennington, Vermont since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Bennington
The strongest storm to pass near Bennington was Gloria in 1985, a Category 1 hurricane with 82 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1938, whose centre came within 7 miles. The record near Bennington begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 29 miles away. Of the 22 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Bennington has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 75 Vermont cities on this site. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 3 miles. Of the 25, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2020. Bennington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1960, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Of the 75 Vermont cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bennington.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bennington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 50 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 7 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 66 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 Bennington: 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 Bennington
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s3
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 3 mi | 30.5 mi | 0 / 68 |
| Aug 20, 1968 | F3 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 28, 1973 | F2 | 16 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 29, 1969 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 1, 1966 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1955 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | EF1 | 19 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 2 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 20 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2002 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F1 | 23 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bennington
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Bennington since 1960, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on June 1, 2011. The most recent report is from June 23, 2024. June has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bennington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bennington Morse St Airport, VT, 4 miles west of Bennington at 826 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 13°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 38.8 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (22.9 of 38.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 72°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. That 38.8 inches is more than at 6 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (18%). Pownal, 8 miles south, has its own station (North Adams Harriman Airport, MA): 42.3 inches a year, 3.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 13 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 35 | 14 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 44 | 23 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 2.5 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 76 | 52 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Nov | 49 | 29 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 38 | 21 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 38.8 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bennington Morse St Airport, VT (826 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 Bennington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 152 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bennington: 125 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 11 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 76 mph, on February 17, 2006. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 34 have had fewer than Bennington.
July 27, 2007: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Bennington — 1 injured, $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck the Green Mountain Christian Center on Harwood Hill Road in Bennington at around 20:55 EST, causing severe damage. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion while trying to extinguish the blaze, and was sent to the hospital for examination.”
July 19, 2015: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bennington — 1 injured.
July 1, 2017: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bennington — $300,000 damage.
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 Bennington's ZIP code 05201 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $177,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 10. 41% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 43 Vermont cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 17 have fewer than Bennington.
Bennington County, which includes Bennington, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on July 14, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bennington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.6 million (62%), 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 Bennington
- North Bennington, VT5 mi
- Pownal, VT8 mi
- Hoosick Falls, NY9 mi
- Petersburg, NY13 mi
- North Adams, MA13 mi
- Williamstown, MA13 mi
- Cambridge, NY15 mi
- Arlington, VT15 mi
- Johnsonville, NY16 mi
- Wilmington, VT16 mi
- Adams, MA18 mi
- Manchester Center, VT21 mi
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