NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canaan, 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
31 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Canaan, Maine since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Irene in 2011. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 29
- 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 Canaan
The strongest storm to pass near Canaan was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Canaan begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Irene in 2011, a tropical storm 73 miles away. Of the 31 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 81% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Canaan. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on August 9, 2000, came within 7 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2014. Of the 160 Maine cities, 48% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Canaan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Canaan.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canaan
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 7 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | HeidiSep 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 11 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | overhead | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 26 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Canaan: 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 Canaan
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s5
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2000 | F2 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 7, 1971 | F2 | 7 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 1961 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2014 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 8.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1997 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1989 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1970 | F1 | 8 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1963 | F1 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1963 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1959 | F1 | 20 mi | 2 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 Canaan
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Canaan since 1974, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 13, 1983. The most recent report is from August 24, 2020. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canaan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Madison, ME, 16 miles west of Canaan at 220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 6°F. October is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (23.1 of 41.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 31 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 70°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 172 nights a year. Snowfall averages 74.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.8 inches is more than at 7 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (15%). Pittsfield, 7 miles east, has its own station (Corinna, ME): 44.6 inches a year, 2.8 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 6 | 2.9 | 6 | 18.6 |
| Feb | 30 | 6 | 2.3 | 6 | 19.2 |
| Mar | 39 | 17 | 2.9 | 6 | 12.6 |
| Apr | 51 | 30 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.1 |
| May | 64 | 42 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 73 | 52 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 55 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 47 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 37 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 27 | 3.8 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 33 | 15 | 3.8 | 7 | 15.9 |
| Year | 54 | 33 | 41.8 | 84 | 74.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Madison, ME (220 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 Canaan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canaan: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 52 floods, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $995,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 18, 2003.
September 30, 2015: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Canaan — $300,000 damage.
April 16, 2007: flood 8 miles from the centre of Canaan — $250,000 damage.
April 29, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Canaan — $243,000 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
Somerset County, which includes Canaan, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 7 floods, 6 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on January 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Somerset County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.3 million a year, the 6th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 million (36%), 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 Canaan
- Skowhegan, ME7 mi
- Pittsfield, ME7 mi
- Clinton, ME7 mi
- Palmyra, ME11 mi
- Fairfield, ME12 mi
- Madison, ME14 mi
- Norridgewock, ME14 mi
- Waterville, ME15 mi
- Newport, ME16 mi
- Oakland, ME18 mi
- Albion, ME18 mi
- Corinna, ME19 mi
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