NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bradford, NH
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
32 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bradford, New Hampshire since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 28
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Bradford
The strongest storm to pass near Bradford was Carol in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gloria in 1985, whose centre came within 9 miles. The record near Bradford begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 74 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems. Of the 32 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 142 New Hampshire cities on this site, 61% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bradford. The strongest of the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 20, 1963; its path came within 13 miles. Of the 24, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on July 27, 2023. Of the 142 New Hampshire cities, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bradford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1989, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 142 New Hampshire cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bradford.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bradford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 9 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 29 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 57 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 51 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bradford: 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 Bradford
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s3
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1962 | F2 | 20 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1961 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2023 | EF1 | 25 mi | 12.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2022 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2018 | EF1 | in town | 37.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1999 | F1 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1986 | F1 | 20 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1984 | F1 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bradford
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Bradford since 1989, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 9, 2011. The most recent report is from June 6, 2025. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bradford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Sunapee, NH, 8 miles northwest of Bradford at 1,275 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 13°F. October is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.4 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.9 of 48.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 32 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 70°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 85.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.4 inches is more than at 30 of the 39 New Hampshire stations used on this site (77%). Warner, 7 miles east, has its own station (Salisbury, NH): 48.6 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 13 | 3.3 | 7 | 18.4 |
| Feb | 32 | 15 | 3.1 | 6 | 24.6 |
| Mar | 40 | 22 | 3.7 | 6 | 12.3 |
| Apr | 53 | 33 | 4.2 | 7 | 4.7 |
| May | 66 | 44 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 54 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 57 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 50 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 39 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 45 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.6 |
| Dec | 34 | 20 | 4.3 | 8 | 20.6 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 48.4 | 88 | 85.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Sunapee, NH (1,275 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 Bradford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bradford: 43 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $857,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on July 6, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 11. Of the 141 New Hampshire cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Bradford.
June 6, 2025: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Bradford — 1 injured.
July 2, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bradford — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain from slow moving thunderstorms produced flash flooding in Washington.”
July 29, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Bradford — $155,000 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 Bradford's ZIP code 03221 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $293,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 5% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 60 New Hampshire cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 22 have fewer than Bradford.
Merrimack County, which includes Bradford, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 5 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Merrimack County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.8 million a year, the 4th highest of 10 New Hampshire counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $34.1 million (70%), 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 Bradford
- Warner, NH7 mi
- Henniker, NH9 mi
- Hillsboro, NH10 mi
- Sunapee, NH11 mi
- New London, NH11 mi
- Hopkinton, NH13 mi
- Newport, NH14 mi
- Antrim, NH14 mi
- Andover, NH16 mi
- Boscawen, NH16 mi
- Weare, NH17 mi
- Franklin, NH20 mi
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