NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Danbury, 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
47 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Danbury, Connecticut since 1851, 10 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 10
- Tropical storms
- 37
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Danbury
The strongest storm to pass near Danbury was Carol in 1954, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 8 miles. The record near Danbury begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 64 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 47 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site, 47% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Danbury. The highest rating among the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 29, 1971, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 24, 1962, killed 1 person. Of the 52, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2023. Danbury has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 186 Connecticut cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1961, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Danbury.
Compare Danbury's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Danbury
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 23 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 50 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 73 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 73 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 28 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | overhead | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 72 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 49 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 8 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 72 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 72 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Danbury: 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 Danbury
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s9
- 2000s11
- 1990s8
- 1980s5
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 1962 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.6 mi | 1 / 50 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2006 | F2 | 24 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 12, 1973 | F2 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 13 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1971 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1955 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1951 | F2 | 15 mi | 43.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Danbury
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Danbury since 1961, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 31, 1998. The most recent report is from June 2, 2023. August has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Danbury
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danbury, CT, 2 miles east of Danbury at 405 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. July and October are the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 53.0 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (28.6 of 53.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 47 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (21); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 4.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.0 inches is more than at 22 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (81%). Brewster, NY, 7 miles west, has its own station (Carmel 4N, NY): 50.5 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 85°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Bridgeport, CT, 21 miles southeast, averaged 76°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Bridgeport tide gauge, 21 miles from Danbury, has risen 1.35 ± 0.08 inches per decade from 1964 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 13.5 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 81 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 3.7 | 7 | 15.7 | 42 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 3.3 | 7 | 11.0 | 39 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 4.4 | 8 | 10.4 | 42 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 4.2 | 8 | 1.7 | 48 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 | 56 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 | 65 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Aug | 82 | 63 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 76 |
| Sep | 75 | 55 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Nov | 50 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.9 | 56 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 4.6 | 8 | 8.6 | 46 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 53.0 | 86 | 49.3 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danbury, CT (405 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Bridgeport, 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 Danbury
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 256 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Danbury: 176 thunderstorm wind reports, 47 flash floods, 26 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 18, 2012. September has had the most flash floods, 16 of 47. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Danbury.
May 15, 2018: thunderstorm wind in Danbury — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Tree fell on truck in Candlewood Lake area killing a man.”
May 15, 2018: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Danbury — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
June 22, 2011: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Danbury — 1 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Danbury's 2 ZIP codes have filed 231 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $7.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Floyd in 1999: 51 claims (22% of all) and $2.3 million, then Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 26 and Hurricane Ida in 2021 with 14. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 67. 45% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Connecticut cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 102 have fewer than Danbury.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Floyd1999 | 51 | $2.3 million |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 26 | $607,000 |
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 14 | $1.3 million |
Fairfield County, which includes Danbury, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 8 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 20, 2024.
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.