NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fryeburg, 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
32 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fryeburg, Maine since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Irene in 2011. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Fryeburg
The strongest storm to pass near Fryeburg was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 2 hurricane with 97 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Carol in 1954, whose centre came within 14 miles. The record near Fryeburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Irene in 2011, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 6 systems. Of the 32 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 38% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Fryeburg. The strongest of the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on July 24, 2008; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 21, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on August 22, 2020. Fryeburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 160 Maine cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1961, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Fryeburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 160 Maine cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fryeburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 14 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 47 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 23 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fryeburg: 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 Fryeburg
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s5
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 50.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 7 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2009 | EF1 | 22 mi | 16.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1999 | F1 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F1 | 22 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1976 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 9, 1972 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1972 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 1971 | F1 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1970 | F1 | 16 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fryeburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Fryeburg since 1961, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 8 days, most recently July 1, 2017. The most recent report is from July 17, 2024. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fryeburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fryeburg E Slopes Airport, ME, 4 miles south of Fryeburg at 445 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 7°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (24.7 of 47.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 32 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 178 nights a year. That 47.0 inches is more than at 18 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (38%). Center Conway, NH, 5 miles west, has its own station (N Conway, NH): 50.3 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 7 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 34 | 9 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 42 | 19 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 56 | 30 | 4.5 | 7 |
| May | 68 | 42 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 77 | 51 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 56 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 81 | 54 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 46 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 59 | 35 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Nov | 47 | 26 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Dec | 36 | 15 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Year | 57 | 32 | 47.0 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fryeburg E Slopes Airport, ME (445 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 Fryeburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fryeburg: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 floods, 14 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $5.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 1, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 154 Maine cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Fryeburg.
June 19, 2006: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Fryeburg — 1 killed.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines down. A falling tree struck and killed a 22 year old female camping in a tent.”
July 19, 2015: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Fryeburg — 2 injured.
April 16, 2007: flood 6 miles from the centre of Fryeburg — $2.7 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding and damages were countywide.”
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 Fryeburg's ZIP code 04037 have filed 58 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $737,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1987: 18 claims (31% of all) and $196,000. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 18. 36% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 61 Maine cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 45 have fewer than Fryeburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1987 | 18 | $196,000 |
Oxford County, which includes Fryeburg, has been named in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 28 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 9 floods, 6 snowstorms, 5 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on January 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oxford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.4 million a year, the 8th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.3 million (60%), 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 Fryeburg
- Center Conway, NH5 mi
- North Conway, NH9 mi
- Bridgton, ME11 mi
- Conway, NH12 mi
- Harrison, ME15 mi
- Sebago, ME18 mi
- Naples, ME19 mi
- Center Ossipee, NH21 mi
- Norway, ME22 mi
- Oxford, ME23 mi
- Casco, ME23 mi
- Bethel, ME23 mi
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