NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brattleboro, 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
34 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brattleboro, Vermont since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 40 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 28
- Tornadoes
- 40
- 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 Brattleboro
The strongest storm to pass near Brattleboro was Carol in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1938, whose centre came within 21 miles. The record near Brattleboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 56 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems. Of the 34 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Brattleboro is tied for the most hurricanes within 75 miles among the 75 Vermont cities on this site. The strongest of the 40 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 20, 1968; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 40, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on July 27, 2023. Brattleboro has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1999, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 75 Vermont cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brattleboro.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brattleboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 25 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | overhead | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 64 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 56 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 21 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 75 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 63 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Brattleboro: 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 Brattleboro
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s3
- 1990s6
- 1980s4
- 1970s7
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 1968 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 11, 2006 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2002 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1972 | F2 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1969 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1963 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2023 | EF1 | 16 mi | 12.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2022 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2019 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2018 | EF1 | 22 mi | 37.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 2017 | EF1 | 23 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 40, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brattleboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Brattleboro since 1999, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on June 1, 2011. The most recent report is from June 23, 2024. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brattleboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Keene, NH, 16 miles east of Brattleboro at 511 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 10°F. October is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 46.3 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (25.9 of 46.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. Snowfall averages 59.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.3 inches is more than at 24 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (73%). Vernon, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Greenfield #3, MA): 49.3 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 10 | 3.1 | 7 | 15.2 |
| Feb | 34 | 11 | 2.8 | 6 | 14.4 |
| Mar | 43 | 20 | 3.4 | 7 | 11.0 |
| Apr | 57 | 30 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.2 |
| May | 69 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 51 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 56 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 54 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 47 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 36 | 18 | 3.9 | 7 | 14.4 |
| Year | 57 | 33 | 46.3 | 85 | 59.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Keene, NH (511 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 Brattleboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brattleboro: 94 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 16 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $25.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 3, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 23. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Brattleboro.
July 2, 2014: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Brattleboro — 7 injured.
NWS: “Seven fire fighters responding to a structure fire were struck by lightning during a thunderstorm in Guilford. Although all seven were sent to a hospital with minor injuries, no serious injuries were reported.”
August 28, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Brattleboro — $22.0 million damage.
July 29, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Brattleboro — $1.0 million 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 Brattleboro's ZIP code 05301 have filed 49 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 33 claims (67% of all) and $1.4 million. 67% 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, 27 have fewer than Brattleboro.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 33 | $1.4 million |
Windham County, which includes Brattleboro, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 8 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on March 2, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Windham County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.3 million a year, the 4th highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.7 million (72%), 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 Brattleboro
- Hinsdale, NH7 mi
- Vernon, VT8 mi
- Bernardston, MA12 mi
- Wilmington, VT12 mi
- Westmoreland, NH13 mi
- Putney, VT13 mi
- Northfield, MA14 mi
- Winchester, NH15 mi
- Swanzey, NH16 mi
- Greenfield, MA17 mi
- Turners Falls, MA17 mi
- Shelburne Falls, MA18 mi
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