NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ellsworth, 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
33 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ellsworth, Maine since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Ellsworth
The strongest storm to pass near Ellsworth was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Edna in 1954, whose centre came within 43 miles. The record near Ellsworth begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 35 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 33 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Ellsworth has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 160 Maine cities on this site. The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 4 times; the most recent, on August 14, 1977, came within 25 miles. Of the 160 Maine cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ellsworth. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 1990, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ellsworth.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ellsworth
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 10 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 7 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | HeidiSep 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 10 | 54 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | FrancesOct 9 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 12 | 43 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 17 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 26 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 23 | 53 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | 54 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 9 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 Ellsworth: 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 Ellsworth
By decade
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 1977 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1965 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 17, 1959 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 2, 1958 | F1 | 22 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ellsworth
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Ellsworth since 1990. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 2, 2022. The most recent report is from July 2, 2022.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ellsworth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Acadia Np, ME, 19 miles southeast of Ellsworth at 470 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. October and November are the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 55.7 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (27.1 of 55.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 33 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. That 55.7 inches is more than at 45 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (96%). Holden, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Bangor International Airport, ME): 41.8 inches a year, 13.9 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
Sea level at the Bar Harbor tide gauge, 19 miles from Ellsworth, has risen 0.98 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1947 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 9.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 57 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 53 | 35 | 5.2 | 7 |
| May | 65 | 45 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 74 | 54 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 79 | 60 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 78 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 71 | 53 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Oct | 59 | 43 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 5.7 | 10 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 55.7 | 88 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Acadia Np, ME (470 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 Ellsworth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ellsworth: 14 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $695,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on May 3, 2010.
August 5, 2023: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Ellsworth — 3 injured.
NWS: “A family of 3 was struck by lightning at the Patten Pond Campground. All the victims were checked by EMT's who determined that no injuries had occurred.”
July 5, 2023: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Ellsworth — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two people were struck by lightning and transported to the hospital. The extent of the injuries is uncertain.”
September 7, 2008: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Ellsworth — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “00 inches produced flash flooding in the Ellsworth area. State Street was flooded and a portion of Beechland Road was washed out.”
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
Hancock County, which includes Ellsworth, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 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 Hancock 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 and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 9th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (31%), 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 Ellsworth
- Hancock, ME10 mi
- Holden, ME10 mi
- Franklin, ME10 mi
- Eddington, ME14 mi
- Blue Hill, ME16 mi
- Bar Harbor, ME17 mi
- Bucksport, ME17 mi
- Orrington, ME19 mi
- Brewer, ME20 mi
- Stockton Springs, ME22 mi
- Bangor, ME22 mi
- Winterport, ME23 mi
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