NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Madawaska, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Madawaska, Maine since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Irene in 2011. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Madawaska
The strongest storm to pass near Madawaska was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Madawaska begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Irene in 2011, a tropical storm 10 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 18 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 93% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Madawaska. The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on August 15, 1958; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 6, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2009. Of the 160 Maine cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Madawaska. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1999, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Madawaska.
Compare Madawaska's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Madawaska
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 4 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 54 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 11 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 25 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 17 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Madawaska: 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 Madawaska
By decade
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 1958 | F2 | 24 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1971 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1961 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2009 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2007 | EF0 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1997 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Madawaska
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Madawaska since 1999, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 4, 2007. The most recent report is from June 19, 2021. August has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Madawaska
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Frenchville Aroostook Airport, ME, 4 miles south of Madawaska at 988 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 76°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 19°F and 3°F. June is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 33.2 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 65% of the year's precipitation (21.5 of 33.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 66°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 183 nights a year. That 33.2 inches is more than at 0 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (0%). Fort Kent, 15 miles southwest, has its own station (Fort Kent, ME): 41.6 inches a year, 8.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 76°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | 3 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 22 | 6 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 33 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Apr | 46 | 30 | 2.4 | 6 |
| May | 62 | 42 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 71 | 51 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Jul | 76 | 57 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Aug | 74 | 55 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 66 | 47 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Oct | 51 | 36 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Nov | 38 | 26 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 26 | 13 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 49 | 32 | 33.2 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Frenchville Aroostook Airport, ME (988 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 Madawaska
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Madawaska: 27 thunderstorm wind reports and 7 flash floods. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on August 18, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 154 Maine cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 102 have had fewer than Madawaska.
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
Aroostook County, which includes Madawaska, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 snowstorms, 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Aroostook County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.6 million (39%), 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 Madawaska
- Fort Kent, ME15 mi
- Van Buren, ME22 mi
- Caribou, ME35 mi
- Fort Fairfield, ME45 mi
- Mapleton, ME46 mi
- Presque Isle, ME48 mi
- Houlton, ME87 mi
- Millinocket, ME119 mi
- Lincoln, ME137 mi
- Milo, ME148 mi
- Guilford, ME154 mi
- Dover Foxcroft, ME154 mi
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