NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bowdoin, 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
34 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bowdoin, Maine since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Bowdoin
The strongest storm to pass near Bowdoin was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Bowdoin begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 62 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems. Of the 34 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 38% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bowdoin. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 8, 1996, came within 9 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2012. Of the 160 Maine cities, 48% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bowdoin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1985, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Bowdoin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 160 Maine cities.
Compare Bowdoin's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bowdoin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | HeidiSep 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 63 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | overhead | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 24 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bowdoin: 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 Bowdoin
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 1996 | F2 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF1 | 23 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 2005 | F1 | 17 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1988 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1968 | F1 | 14 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1966 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 1963 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1958 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1956 | F1 | 19 mi | 18.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2012 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bowdoin
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Bowdoin since 1985, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 7, 1990. The most recent report is from July 23, 2016. June has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bowdoin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Durham, ME, 7 miles southwest of Bowdoin at 140 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 8°F. October is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 49.9 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (26.2 of 49.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 70°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 176 nights a year. Snowfall averages 77.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.9 inches is more than at 37 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (79%). Bowdoinham, 5 miles east, has its own station (Bath, ME): 48.5 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 8 | 3.6 | 7 | 20.8 |
| Feb | 33 | 9 | 3.4 | 6 | 19.4 |
| Mar | 41 | 19 | 4.1 | 7 | 13.8 |
| Apr | 54 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 | 3.7 |
| May | 65 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 74 | 50 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 54 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 47 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 36 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 27 | 4.5 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 35 | 16 | 4.5 | 8 | 16.2 |
| Year | 55 | 33 | 49.9 | 86 | 77.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Durham, ME (140 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 Bowdoin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bowdoin: 50 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 8 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on September 6, 2021. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 8. Of the 154 Maine cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 111 have had fewer than Bowdoin.
December 19, 2023: flood 4 miles from the centre of Bowdoin — $560,000 damage.
April 28, 2005: flood 5 miles from the centre of Bowdoin — $197,000 damage.
August 13, 2014: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bowdoin — $100,000 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
Sagadahoc County, which includes Bowdoin, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on March 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sagadahoc County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.6 million a year, the 16th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (38%), 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.