NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canterbury, CT
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
57 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Canterbury, Connecticut since 1851, 11 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 11
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 29
- 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 Canterbury
The strongest storm to pass near Canterbury was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 112 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Donna in 1960, whose centre came within 4 miles. The record near Canterbury begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 58 miles away. The 1880s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 57 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Canterbury has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 53% of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site. The highest rating among the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on August 18, 2023, came within 23 miles. Of the 29, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on September 13, 2023. Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Canterbury. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Canterbury.
Compare Canterbury's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canterbury
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 37 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 43 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 4 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 7 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 29 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 48 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 40 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 75 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 58 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 21 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 7 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Canterbury: 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 Canterbury
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s7
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 6, 1973 | F2 | 25 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 1958 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 20, 1951 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 12 mi | 1.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 4 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 2019 | EF1 | 17 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2018 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 10, 2013 | EF1 | 12 mi | 10.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Canterbury
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Canterbury since 1972, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 10 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 May 25, 2014. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. May and July have the most reports, 6 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canterbury
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hampton, CT, 6 miles northwest of Canterbury at 490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 17°F. December is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (25.5 of 50.6 inches). September has brought the most of the 57 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. That 50.6 inches is more than at 17 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (63%). Baltic, 5 miles southwest, has its own station (Norwich Public Utility Plt, CT): 52.3 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 80°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station New London, CT, 23 miles south, averaged 71°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the New London tide gauge, 23 miles from Canterbury, has risen 1.16 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1938 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 66 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 17 | 4.1 | 41 |
| Feb | 38 | 18 | 3.4 | 39 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 | 4.4 | 43 |
| Apr | 58 | 35 | 4.7 | 49 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 3.7 | 56 |
| Jun | 75 | 54 | 4.3 | 64 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 3.9 | 71 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 4.2 | 71 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 4.3 | 70 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 4.7 | 63 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 4.1 | 55 |
| Dec | 41 | 23 | 4.8 | 46 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 50.6 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hampton, CT (490 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station New London, CT, 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 Canterbury
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canterbury: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 floods, 7 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 26, 2024. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 20 have had fewer than Canterbury.
March 30, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Canterbury — 1 injured, $1.1 million damage.
August 14, 2016: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Canterbury — 1 injured.
March 29, 2010: flood 6 miles from the centre of Canterbury — $165,000 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
Windham County, which includes Canterbury, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 7 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Isaias, on January 12, 2021.
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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.