NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montpelier, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Montpelier, Vermont since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Montpelier
The strongest storm to pass near Montpelier was Carol in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Montpelier begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 15 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 75 Vermont cities on this site, 36% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Montpelier. The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF1 on May 9, 2009; its path came within 13 miles. The most recent tornado was on August 3, 2010. Of the 75 Vermont cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Montpelier. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Montpelier has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 75 Vermont cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Montpelier
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 68 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Montpelier: 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 Montpelier
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2009 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2010 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2009 | EF0 | 14 mi | 2.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Montpelier
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Montpelier since 1961, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 9, 2007. The most recent report is from May 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montpelier
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montpelier 2, VT, in Montpelier at 530 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 7°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (22.6 of 41.4 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal August there has highs of 80°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. That 41.4 inches is more than at 15 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (45%). Barre, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Barre Montpelier Airport, VT): 38.7 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 7 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 31 | 9 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 40 | 18 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 53 | 32 | 3.3 | 8 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jun | 77 | 54 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 58 | 38 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 2.9 | 8 |
| Dec | 33 | 17 | 3.3 | 9 |
| Year | 55 | 35 | 41.4 | 92 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montpelier 2, VT (530 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 Montpelier
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montpelier: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 11 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $116.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 26, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 9 of 22. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 66 have had fewer than Montpelier.
July 11, 2023: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Montpelier — 1 killed, $100.0 million damage.
NWS: “Three to seven inches of rain fell during the afternoon/evening of July 10 and into the morning hours on July 11. Severe flash flooding occurred, most notably in the Barre area where the Stevens and Jail Branches of the Winooski River were overwhelmed.”
July 4, 2013: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Montpelier — 1 injured.
May 26, 2011: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Montpelier — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Devastating flash flooding occurred in the towns of Berlin, Plainfield, Cabot, Marshfield, Montpelier, and Northfield. The Stevens Branch flooded much of downtown Barre, and swift water rescues were conducted for people trapped by flood waters.”
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 Montpelier's ZIP code 05602 have filed 427 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $14.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Vermont/New York Flooding in 2023: 103 claims (24% of all) and $9.9 million, then Flooding in 1992 with 84 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 59. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 145. 60% 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, 42 have fewer than Montpelier.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont/New York Flooding2023 | 103 | $9.9 million |
| Flooding1992 | 84 | $1.5 million |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 59 | $1.4 million |
| December Nor'easter2023 | 12 | $128,000 |
Washington County, which includes Montpelier, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 28 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 13 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on August 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.2 million a year, the 3rd highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.6 million (79%), 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 Montpelier
- Barre, VT7 mi
- Plainfield, VT9 mi
- Northfield, VT9 mi
- Waterbury Center, VT10 mi
- Waterbury, VT10 mi
- Williamstown, VT11 mi
- Waitsfield, VT13 mi
- Stowe, VT15 mi
- Morrisville, VT20 mi
- Richmond, VT20 mi
- Hardwick, VT20 mi
- Wolcott, VT21 mi
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