NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bethany, CT
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
50 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bethany, Connecticut since 1851, 11 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 54 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 11
- Tropical storms
- 39
- Tornadoes
- 54
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Bethany
The strongest storm to pass near Bethany was Carol in 1954, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gloria in 1985, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Bethany begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 57 miles away. The 1860s and the 1890s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 50 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Bethany has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 53% of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site. The strongest of the 54 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 10, 1989; its path came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 24, 1962, killed 1 person. Of the 54, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on June 21, 2024. Bethany has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 186 Connecticut cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1957, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bethany has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 186 Connecticut cities.
Compare Bethany's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bethany
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 72 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | overhead | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | overhead | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 31 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 52 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 55 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 5 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 58 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 29 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 31 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 64 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 50 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bethany: 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 Bethany
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s8
- 1990s9
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1989 | F4 | 6 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 40 |
| May 24, 1962 | F3 | 10 mi | 11.6 mi | 1 / 50 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 9 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F2 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1973 | F2 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1955 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1951 | F2 | 19 mi | 43.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 12, 1950 | F2 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 54, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bethany
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Bethany since 1957, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 1, 2012. The most recent report is from August 3, 2024. July has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bethany
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Carmel, CT, 5 miles east of Bethany at 180 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. June and October are the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 50.5 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 50.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 50 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (22); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. That 50.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (56%). Derby, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (New Haven Tweed Airport, CT): 41.8 inches a year, 8.7 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station New Haven, CT, 11 miles southeast, averaged 75°F in August and 37°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Bridgeport tide gauge, 19 miles from Bethany, has risen 1.35 ± 0.08 inches per decade from 1964 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 13.5 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 81 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 20 | 3.6 | 7 | 39 |
| Feb | 41 | 22 | 3.5 | 6 | 37 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 4.4 | 7 | 41 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 4.7 | 8 | 48 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 3.7 | 7 | 57 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 4.9 | 7 | 65 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.8 | 7 | 74 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | 7 | 75 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 4.3 | 7 | 72 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 4.9 | 5 | 63 |
| Nov | 53 | 34 | 4.4 | 6 | 53 |
| Dec | 42 | 27 | 4.5 | 7 | 43 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 50.5 | 82 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Carmel, CT (180 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station New Haven, CT, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Bethany
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 279 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bethany: 191 thunderstorm wind reports, 71 flash floods, 9 floods, 7 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 4 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 31, 2009. August has had the most flash floods, 23 of 71. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Bethany.
August 18, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Bethany — 2 killed.
June 2, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bethany — 1 killed.
April 23, 2006: flood 4 miles from the centre of Bethany — 1 killed.
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
New Haven County, which includes Bethany, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 9 severe storms, 8 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 20, 2024.
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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.