NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fairfax, VT
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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fairfax, Vermont since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 17
- 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 Fairfax
The strongest storm to pass near Fairfax was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Fairfax begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 13 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1920s, with 2 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 75 Vermont cities on this site, 36% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Fairfax. The highest rating among the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on August 8, 1983, came within 13 miles. Of the 17, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on June 10, 2025. Fairfax has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1958, with stones up to 3.3 inches. Fairfax has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 75 Vermont cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fairfax
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 54 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fairfax: 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 Fairfax
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s2
- 1980s3
- 1970s4
- 1960s5
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 1983 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1970 | F2 | 10 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 4, 1963 | F2 | 14 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1962 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1961 | F2 | 17 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F2 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1957 | F2 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2008 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1973 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1973 | F1 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1972 | F1 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1961 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fairfax
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Fairfax since 1958, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.3 inches, fell on July 16, 2009. The most recent report is from August 14, 2024. July has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fairfax
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is St Albans Radio, VT, 12 miles north of Fairfax at 380 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 8°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 38.2 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (22.6 of 38.2 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from June. Lows fall below freezing on about 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 79.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.2 inches is more than at 4 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (12%). Milton, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (S Hero, VT): 35.1 inches a year, 3.1 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 8 | 2.1 | 6 | 16.9 |
| Feb | 29 | 10 | 1.9 | 6 | 18.3 |
| Mar | 37 | 20 | 2.6 | 7 | 16.2 |
| Apr | 52 | 33 | 3.2 | 8 | 6.2 |
| May | 66 | 46 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 74 | 56 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 61 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 59 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 51 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 40 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 30 | 2.9 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 32 | 18 | 2.6 | 7 | 16.0 |
| Year | 53 | 36 | 38.2 | 86 | 79.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at St Albans Radio, VT (380 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 Fairfax
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fairfax: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 6 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 10, 2008. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 10 have had fewer than Fairfax.
April 11, 2011: flood 8 miles from the centre of Fairfax — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
April 15, 2014: flood 8 miles from the centre of Fairfax — $350,000 damage.
December 18, 2023: flood 8 miles from the centre of Fairfax — $350,000 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
Franklin County, which includes Fairfax, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 10 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on April 19, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, 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 $13.1 million a year, the 7th highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.7 million (74%), 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 Fairfax
- Milton, VT6 mi
- Saint Albans, VT8 mi
- Jeffersonville, VT11 mi
- Underhill, VT12 mi
- Colchester, VT13 mi
- Grand Isle, VT13 mi
- Essex Junction, VT14 mi
- Jericho, VT15 mi
- Winooski, VT15 mi
- Swanton, VT17 mi
- Highgate Center, VT17 mi
- Burlington, VT17 mi
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