NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grand Isle, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Grand Isle, Vermont since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Grand Isle
The strongest storm to pass near Grand Isle was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Grand Isle begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 25 miles away. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 75 Vermont cities on this site, 36% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Grand Isle. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on August 8, 1983, came within 15 miles. Of the 16, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on June 10, 2025. Grand Isle has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Grand Isle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 75 Vermont cities.
Compare Grand Isle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grand Isle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 49 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 21 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 Grand Isle: 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 Grand Isle
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s4
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 1983 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1970 | F2 | 8 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 4, 1963 | F2 | 14 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1960 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2008 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1973 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1973 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1972 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1961 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1953 | F1 | 12 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2025 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grand Isle
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Grand Isle since 1962, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently August 16, 2007. The most recent report is from August 4, 2024. July has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grand Isle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is S Hero, VT, 6 miles south of Grand Isle at 110 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 35.1 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 61% of the year's precipitation (21.3 of 35.1 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. Snowfall averages 50.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 35.1 inches is more than at 0 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (0%). Plattsburgh, NY, 8 miles west, has its own station (Plattsburgh International Airport, NY): 30.9 inches a year, 4.2 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 11 | 1.9 | 5 | 11.4 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 1.6 | 4 | 11.6 |
| Mar | 40 | 22 | 2.0 | 5 | 10.6 |
| Apr | 54 | 34 | 2.7 | 7 | 2.2 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 56 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 42 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 46 | 31 | 2.7 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 34 | 21 | 2.2 | 6 | 10.9 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 35.1 | 75 | 50.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at S Hero, VT (110 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 Grand Isle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grand Isle: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 6 lightning strikes, 2 heavy rain events and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 16, 2007.
June 28, 2016: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Grand Isle — $1.7 million damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck a large residence that caused a fire that completely destroyed the home.”
August 16, 2007: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Grand Isle — $500,000 damage.
August 16, 2007: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Grand Isle — $250,000 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
Grand Isle County, which includes Grand Isle, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on July 14, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grand Isle County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.0 million a year, the 13th highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.1 million (79%), 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.