NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Medfield, MA
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
48 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Medfield, Massachusetts since 1851, 11 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Henri in 2021. Since 1950, 53 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 11
- Tropical storms
- 37
- Tornadoes
- 53
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
95 deaths in all
What the records show for Medfield
The strongest storm to pass near Medfield was Edna in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 109 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1869, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Medfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Henri in 2021, a tropical storm 59 miles away. The 1870s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 48 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Medfield has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site. The strongest of the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 9, 1953; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 94 people. Of the 53, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on September 6, 2025. Medfield has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 346 Massachusetts cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1961, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Medfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 346 Massachusetts cities.
Compare Medfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Medfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 22 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 56 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 17 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 61 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 20 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 20 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 43 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 57 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 50 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 3 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 15 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 20 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 Medfield: 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 Medfield
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s9
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s7
- 1970s6
- 1960s4
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | F4 | 14 mi | 34.9 mi | 94 / 1228 |
| Jun 9, 1953 | F3 | 8 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 20, 1963 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 21, 1956 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1972 | F1 | 8 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 14 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 53, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Medfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Medfield since 1961, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 28, 2020. The most recent report is from August 15, 2024. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Medfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Walpole 2, MA, 4 miles southeast of Medfield at 170 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 20°F. October and December are the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 49.8 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (24.7 of 49.8 inches). September has brought the most of the 48 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 56.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 46 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (71%). Millis, 3 miles southwest, has its own station (West Medway, MA): 50.4 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
Sea level at the Boston tide gauge, 18 miles from Medfield, has risen 1.17 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1921 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.7 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 68 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 20 | 3.9 | 7 | 15.1 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 3.4 | 7 | 14.1 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 4.8 | 7 | 11.6 |
| Apr | 59 | 38 | 4.4 | 7 | 2.5 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 54 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 5.0 | 8 | 10.8 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 49.8 | 84 | 56.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Walpole 2, MA (170 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 Medfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 308 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Medfield: 196 thunderstorm wind reports, 66 floods, 29 flash floods and 17 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $76.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on October 7, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 13 of 29. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 256 have had fewer than Medfield.
August 5, 2005: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Medfield — 4 injured, $15,000 damage.
June 27, 2009: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Medfield — 3 injured, $500,000 damage.
May 24, 2009: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Medfield — 1 injured, $1.0 million 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
Norfolk County, which includes Medfield, has been named in 38 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 snowstorms, 8 hurricanes, 7 floods, 7 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, on April 18, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Norfolk County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $146.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $103.1 million (70%), 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.