NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Machias, ME
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
40 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Machias, Maine since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Lee in 2023. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 4
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Machias
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | LeeSep 16 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 10 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2014 | ArthurJul 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1988 | AlbertoAug 7 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | DavidSep 7 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 10 | 13 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1967 | Unnamed 1967 stormOct 18 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | FrancesOct 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 12 | 12 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | CarolSep 7 | 67 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 2 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormAug 10 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 57 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 2 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 26 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormNov 28 | 67 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 23 | 18 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormAug 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 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 Machias: 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 Machias
By decade
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 1961 | F2 | 10 mi | 19.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 10, 1965 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 2, 1958 | F1 | 10 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1961 | F0 | 22 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Machias while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.