NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jefferson, 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
36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Jefferson, Maine since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 8
- 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 Jefferson
The strongest storm to pass near Jefferson was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The record near Jefferson begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 53 miles away. Of the 36 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 38% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Jefferson. The strongest of the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 8, 1996; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 8, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 24, 2012. Of the 160 Maine cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jefferson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 12 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Jefferson.
Compare Jefferson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jefferson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | HeidiSep 14 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 72 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 26 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | 17 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 42 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Jefferson: 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 Jefferson
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1990s1
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 1996 | F2 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1969 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1968 | F1 | 13 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 1963 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1959 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1958 | F1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1956 | F1 | 7 mi | 18.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2012 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jefferson
The Storm Prediction Center has 12 hail reports within 10 miles of Jefferson since 1960, made on 11 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on June 20, 1960. The most recent report is from August 24, 2020. June has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jefferson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Newcastle, ME, 12 miles south of Jefferson at 213 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 15°F. October is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 49.3 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (24.9 of 49.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 36 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 69°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 78.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.3 inches is more than at 32 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (68%). Whitefield, 5 miles west, has its own station (Gardiner, ME): 47.8 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 15 | 3.8 | 7 | 19.6 |
| Feb | 33 | 17 | 3.6 | 7 | 20.3 |
| Mar | 41 | 25 | 4.3 | 7 | 14.1 |
| Apr | 54 | 35 | 4.2 | 8 | 4.4 |
| May | 65 | 45 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 73 | 54 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 60 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 52 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 42 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 32 | 4.6 | 8 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 4.7 | 9 | 16.5 |
| Year | 55 | 38 | 49.3 | 87 | 78.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Newcastle, ME (213 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 Jefferson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jefferson: 27 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 4 flash floods and 4 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on June 7, 1999.
July 2, 2009: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Jefferson — $1.5 million damage.
May 1, 2023: flood 9 miles from the centre of Jefferson — $476,000 damage.
July 2, 2009: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Jefferson — $235,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain resulted in 3 to 5 inches of rain in 90 minutes causing flash flooding in Lincoln County. Many roads were damaged in the towns of Edgecomb, Jefferson, Newcastle, and Waldoboro.”
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
Lincoln County, which includes Jefferson, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 9 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on March 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lincoln County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.7 million a year, the 15th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (33%), 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.