NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Calais, 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 Calais, Maine since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lee in 2023. Since 1950, 2 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 2
- 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 Calais
The strongest storm to pass near Calais was Carol in 1953, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gerda in 1969, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Calais begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Lee in 2023, a tropical storm 60 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 34 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Calais has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 160 Maine cities on this site. The strongest of the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 7, 1954; its path came within 2 miles. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 1961. Of the 160 Maine cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Calais. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 11 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Calais.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Calais
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | LeeSep 17 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 10 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2014 | ArthurJul 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 18 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 7 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 4 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 10 | 5 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1967 | Unnamed 1967 stormOct 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | FrancesOct 9 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 12 | 12 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | CarolSep 7 | 62 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 2 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 17 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormAug 10 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 2 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 26 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 27 | overhead | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 23 | 13 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormAug 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Calais: 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 Calais
By decade
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1954 | F2 | 2 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 29, 1961 | F0 | 7 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 2 of 2, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Calais
The Storm Prediction Center has 11 hail reports within 10 miles of Calais since 1965, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 28, 1991. The most recent report is from July 23, 2021.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Calais
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Woodland, ME, 8 miles west of Calais at 123 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 13°F. October is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 47.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 166 nights a year. That 47.5 inches is more than at 20 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (43%). Machias, 29 miles southwest, has its own station (Wesley, ME): 49.3 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 80°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Eastport, ME, 22 miles southeast, averaged 56°F in September and 38°F in March over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Eastport tide gauge, 22 miles from Calais, has risen 0.92 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1929 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 9.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 54 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 13 | 3.6 | 7 | 42 |
| Feb | 31 | 14 | 3.1 | 7 | 38 |
| Mar | 39 | 24 | 3.8 | 7 | 38 |
| Apr | 52 | 36 | 3.8 | 9 | 41 |
| May | 64 | 46 | 3.8 | 9 | 44 |
| Jun | 74 | 56 | 3.9 | 7 | 48 |
| Jul | 80 | 62 | 3.7 | 7 | 52 |
| Aug | 79 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 | 55 |
| Sep | 71 | 52 | 3.4 | 6 | 56 |
| Oct | 58 | 42 | 5.3 | 8 | 55 |
| Nov | 46 | 33 | 4.8 | 8 | 52 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 4.9 | 8 | 46 |
| Year | 55 | 38 | 47.5 | 88 | 47 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Woodland, ME (123 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Eastport, ME, 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 Calais
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 15 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Calais: 9 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 2 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $582,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 60 mph, on August 2, 2005.
September 7, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Calais — $291,000 damage.
September 7, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Calais — $291,000 damage.
NWS: “00 inches produced flash flooding across the region. 09 inches was reported at Lubec.”
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
Washington County, which includes Calais, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on March 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 14th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (34%), 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 Calais
- Baileyville, ME10 mi
- Machias, ME29 mi
- Franklin, ME62 mi
- Lincoln, ME62 mi
- Hancock, ME68 mi
- Milford, ME69 mi
- Eddington, ME70 mi
- Ellsworth, ME70 mi
- Orono, ME72 mi
- Old Town, ME72 mi
- Bar Harbor, ME73 mi
- Houlton, ME73 mi
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