NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Charlestown, NH
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 Charlestown, New Hampshire since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 19
- 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 Charlestown
The strongest storm to pass near Charlestown was Carol in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gloria in 1985, whose centre came within 28 miles. The record near Charlestown begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 54 miles away. The 1890s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 31 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 142 New Hampshire cities on this site, 61% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Charlestown. The strongest of the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 20, 1968; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 19, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on July 27, 2023. Of the 142 New Hampshire cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Charlestown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Charlestown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 142 New Hampshire cities.
Compare Charlestown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Charlestown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 28 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 51 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 35 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 72 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Charlestown: 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 Charlestown
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 1968 | F3 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 1966 | F2 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1962 | F2 | 4 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1962 | F2 | 9 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1955 | F2 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2023 | EF1 | 24 mi | 12.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2022 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2022 | EF1 | 4 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2019 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2018 | EF1 | 6 mi | 37.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1999 | F1 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Charlestown
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Charlestown since 1958, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 29, 2012. The most recent report is from August 5, 2025. August has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Charlestown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is N Springfield Lake, VT, 9 miles northwest of Charlestown at 560 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 9°F. October is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 43.9 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 43.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 31 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 173 nights a year. That 43.9 inches is more than at 15 of the 39 New Hampshire stations used on this site (38%). Langdon, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Keene, NH): 46.3 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 9 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Feb | 34 | 11 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 42 | 20 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 56 | 31 | 3.9 | 8 |
| May | 70 | 42 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 77 | 52 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jul | 83 | 57 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 55 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 73 | 47 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Nov | 46 | 27 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 35 | 18 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Year | 57 | 34 | 43.9 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at N Springfield Lake, VT (560 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 Charlestown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 169 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Charlestown: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 flash floods, 22 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $120.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 19, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 14 of 30. Of the 141 New Hampshire cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Charlestown.
October 9, 2005: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Charlestown — 2 killed, $10.0 million damage.
July 19, 2015: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Charlestown — 1 killed.
August 28, 2011: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Charlestown — $105.0 million damage.
NWS: “Devastating flash flooding as a result of 4 to 7+ inches of rainfall occurred across all of Windsor county, especially in the foothills of the Green Mountains such as Rochester, Ludlow, Stockbridge, Barnard, Woodstock, Plymouth, Cavendish.”
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
Sullivan County, which includes Charlestown, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 8 floods, 5 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Flooding, on July 10, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sullivan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.0 million a year, the 10th highest of 10 New Hampshire counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.7 million (78%), 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.