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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Manchester Center, 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

19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Manchester Center, Vermont since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
2

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
17

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
16

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
2

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Manchester Center

The strongest storm to pass near Manchester Center was Gloria in 1985, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1938, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near Manchester Center begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 27 miles away. The 1890s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 19 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Manchester Center has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 75 Vermont cities on this site. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1998, came within 18 miles. Of the 16, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 4 each. The most recent tornado was on August 10, 2020. Manchester Center has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 75 Vermont cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Manchester Center.

Compare Manchester Center's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Manchester Center

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Manchester Center, Vermont, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020IsaiasAug 427 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 1
2011IreneAug 2816 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 3
1985GloriaSep 2754 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 4
1979DavidSep 625 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 5
1976BelleAug 1051 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 3
1971DoriaAug 2835 miTropical storm (54 mph)Tropical storm
1968Unnamed 1968 stormSep 1126 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
1960BrendaJul 3072 miTropical storm (48 mph)Tropical storm
1952AbleSep 258 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2911 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 4
1938Unnamed 1938 stormSep 211 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 5
1934Unnamed 1934 stormSep 967 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 2
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 349 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1924Unnamed 1924 stormOct 147 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 1
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 117 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2932 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 249 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2429 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 2
1866Unnamed 1866 stormOct 3018 miTropical storm (51 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Manchester Center: 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 Manchester Center

By decade

  • 2020s1
  • 2010s1
  • 2000s4
  • 1990s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s1
  • 1960s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Manchester Center, Vermont
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 31, 1998F318 mi30.5 mi0 / 68
Aug 20, 1968F314 mi1 mi0 / 1
Jun 5, 2002F216 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 29, 1969F23 mi0.5 mi0 / 1
Jul 9, 1962F224 mi7.6 mi0 / 0
Mar 22, 1955F214 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Aug 10, 2020EF120 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Aug 21, 2019EF116 mi0.75 mi0 / 0
Jul 21, 2003F112 mi2 mi0 / 0
Jul 21, 2003F14 mi25 mi0 / 0
Jun 5, 2002F120 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 27, 1994F123 mi1.5 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Manchester Center

The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Manchester Center since 1970, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 2, 2017. The most recent report is from July 21, 2022. June has the most reports, 8.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Manchester Center

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sunderland 2, VT, 7 miles southwest of Manchester Center at 900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 46.9 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.2 of 46.9 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal August there has highs of 79°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. Snowfall averages 75.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.9 inches is more than at 27 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (82%). Wallingford, 19 miles north, has its own station (Rutland, VT): 40.4 inches a year, 6.5 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Sunderland 2, VT
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan32113.5818.5
Feb35122.8616.4
Mar43203.4814.0
Apr57313.584.1
May69424.190.0
Jun77514.890.0
Jul81554.680.0
Aug79544.380.0
Sep73463.780.0
Oct60364.590.7
Nov48283.374.1
Dec37194.4817.4
Year583446.99575.2

Averages for 1991–2020 at Sunderland 2, VT (900 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 Manchester Center

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Manchester Center: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods, 7 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 1, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 7. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 15 have had fewer than Manchester Center.

  • July 29, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Manchester Center — $200,000 damage.

  • July 10, 2023: flood in Manchester Center — $200,000 damage.

    NWS: “The combination of heavy rainfall and the Batten Kill River overflowing its banks resulted in some areas of flooding in the Town of Manchester. A water rescue was conducted on Natural Form Way as workers were surrounded by about two feet of water.”

  • July 29, 2021: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Manchester Center — $150,000 damage.

    NWS: “The Town of Winhall suffered major impact due to flash flooding. Some residential damage was also reported.”

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 Manchester Center's ZIP code 05255 have filed 34 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1995, and were paid $685,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 12 claims (35% of all) and $202,000. 47% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 43 Vermont cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 23 have fewer than Manchester Center.

Flood insurance claims in Manchester Center by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Hurricane Irene201112$202,000

Bennington County, which includes Manchester Center, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 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 Bennington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.6 million (62%), 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 Manchester Center