NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bridgton, 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
32 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bridgton, Maine since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Irene in 2011. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Bridgton
The strongest storm to pass near Bridgton was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 1 hurricane with 94 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1869, whose centre came within 12 miles. The record near Bridgton begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Irene in 2011, a tropical storm 59 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 6 systems. Of the 32 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 38% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bridgton. The strongest of the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on July 24, 2008; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 25, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2020. Bridgton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 160 Maine cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1983, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Bridgton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 160 Maine cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bridgton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 26 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 36 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 12 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bridgton: 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 Bridgton
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s8
- 2000s4
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s5
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2008 | EF2 | 20 mi | 50.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | in town | 2.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 4 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 4 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2009 | EF1 | 14 mi | 16.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2002 | F1 | 20 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1999 | F1 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1998 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F1 | 25 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1981 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 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 Bridgton
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Bridgton since 1983, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 21, 2009. The most recent report is from June 5, 2024. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bridgton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bridgton 3 NW, ME, 1 mile northwest of Bridgton at 508 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 7°F. October is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 50.7 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (27.0 of 50.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 32 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 69°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 176 nights a year. Snowfall averages 83.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.7 inches is more than at 40 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (85%). Naples, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (East Hiram, ME): 49.8 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 7 | 3.5 | 7 | 20.6 |
| Feb | 31 | 8 | 3.6 | 6 | 22.0 |
| Mar | 40 | 19 | 3.9 | 6 | 16.7 |
| Apr | 54 | 30 | 4.4 | 7 | 3.5 |
| May | 66 | 42 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 73 | 52 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 58 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 56 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 48 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 37 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 45 | 27 | 4.3 | 7 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 34 | 16 | 4.6 | 9 | 16.5 |
| Year | 54 | 33 | 50.7 | 87 | 83.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bridgton 3 NW, ME (508 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 Bridgton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bridgton: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 84 mph, on July 4, 2000. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 154 Maine cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 119 have had fewer than Bridgton.
July 27, 2009: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Bridgton — 2 injured.
July 19, 2015: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Bridgton — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two men were injured when lightning apparently struck the house they were about to enter. Firefighters were called to a home on Route 160 after a lightning strike knocked down power lines, which fell onto a car with the car���s owner inside it.”
July 4, 2000: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Bridgton — 1 injured.
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
Cumberland County, which includes Bridgton, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 8 floods, 8 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cumberland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail, coastal flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $69.2 million a year, the highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $26.9 million (39%), 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 Bridgton
- Harrison, ME5 mi
- Naples, ME9 mi
- Fryeburg, ME11 mi
- Oxford, ME12 mi
- Sebago, ME12 mi
- Casco, ME13 mi
- Norway, ME13 mi
- Raymond, ME16 mi
- South Paris, ME16 mi
- Poland, ME17 mi
- Center Conway, NH17 mi
- Mechanic Falls, ME17 mi
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