NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Bedford, 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
58 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Bedford, Massachusetts since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 13
- 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 New Bedford
The strongest storm to pass near New Bedford was Edna in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 109 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1904, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near New Bedford begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 37 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 8 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 58 systems, 8 have come since 2000. New Bedford has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 28, 1970, came within 4 miles. Of the 13, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than New Bedford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1968, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than New Bedford.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Bedford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 13 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1967 | Unnamed 1967 stormJun 21 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 53 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 28 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 48 mi | Category 2 (108 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 17 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 26 | 59 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 2 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 48 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 11 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 17 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 26 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 32 mi | Category 2 (108 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 46 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Bedford: 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 New Bedford
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1970 | F2 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 18, 1967 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2023 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2008 | EF1 | 15 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F1 | 24 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1968 | F1 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2019 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1997 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1972 | F0 | 2 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1965 | F0 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Bedford
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of New Bedford since 1968, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 9, 1968. The most recent report is from August 26, 2024. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Bedford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Bedford Municipal Airport, MA, 2 miles northwest of New Bedford at 80 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. March is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February and July the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 45.8 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (22.9 of 45.8 inches). September has brought the most of the 58 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (21); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. That 45.8 inches is more than at 16 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (25%). Fairhaven, 3 miles southeast, has its own station (New Bedford Coop, MA): 52.3 inches a year, 6.5 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Fall River, MA, 13 miles west, averaged 75°F in July and 38°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Woods Hole tide gauge, 16 miles from New Bedford, has risen 1.24 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1932 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 12.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 73 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.7 | 7 | 41 |
| Feb | 41 | 22 | 3.0 | 6 | 38 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 4.8 | 7 | 42 |
| Apr | 57 | 36 | 4.0 | 7 | 49 |
| May | 67 | 46 | 3.3 | 7 | 58 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 3.6 | 7 | 68 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.0 | 6 | 75 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.8 | 6 | 75 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.6 | 6 | 71 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 4.6 | 7 | 63 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 4.3 | 7 | 53 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 4.1 | 7 | 44 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 45.8 | 78 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Bedford Municipal Airport, MA (80 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Fall River, MA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 New Bedford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Bedford: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 51 floods, 21 flash floods and 20 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 30, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 21. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 189 have had fewer than New Bedford.
May 21, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of New Bedford — 1 killed.
July 19, 2010: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of New Bedford — 1 injured.
August 11, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of New Bedford — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous streets were flooded including: Coggeshall and Dean Streets, Cove Road, West Rodney French Boulevard, and Brownell and Hawthorne Avenues in New Bedford. These roads were closed to traffic and emergency vehicles were rerouted around these streets to reach their destinations.”
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 New Bedford's 4 ZIP codes have filed 76 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $531,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Bob in 1991: 17 claims (22% of all) and $187,000. 33% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 229 Massachusetts cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 152 have fewer than New Bedford.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Bob1991 | 17 | $187,000 |
Bristol County, which includes New Bedford, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on May 15, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bristol County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $87.3 million a year, the 8th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $61.9 million (71%), 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 New Bedford
- Fairhaven, MA3 mi
- Dartmouth, MA3 mi
- Acushnet, MA3 mi
- South Dartmouth, MA4 mi
- Mattapoisett, MA7 mi
- East Freetown, MA8 mi
- Westport, MA9 mi
- Rochester, MA9 mi
- Marion, MA10 mi
- Fall River, MA12 mi
- Assonet, MA12 mi
- West Wareham, MA13 mi
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