NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Niantic, CT
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
57 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Niantic, Connecticut since 1851, 13 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 13
- Tropical storms
- 44
- Tornadoes
- 14
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Niantic
The strongest storm to pass near Niantic was Carol in 1954, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Donna in 1960, whose centre came within 8 miles. The record near Niantic 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 1960s, with 6 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 57 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Niantic has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 95% of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site. The strongest of the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 21, 1951; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 14, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on November 13, 2021. Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Niantic. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Niantic.
Compare Niantic's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Niantic
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 32 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 41 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 21 | 73 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 8 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 11 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 20 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 36 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 27 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 10 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 72 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 47 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 23 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 9 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Niantic: 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 Niantic
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 1951 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF1 | 12 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 2009 | EF1 | 19 mi | 2.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 15, 2000 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1998 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1998 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1974 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1963 | F1 | 13 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF0 | 19 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1998 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 1983 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Niantic
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Niantic since 1969, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 29, 1969. The most recent report is from June 29, 2020. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Niantic
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Groton New London Airport, CT, 8 miles east of Niantic at 10 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 23°F. March and September are the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 39.2 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (20.5 of 39.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 57 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 107 nights a year. That 39.2 inches is more than at 0 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (0%). Quaker Hill, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Groton, CT): 48.9 inches a year, 9.7 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 80°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station New London, CT, 7 miles northeast, averaged 71°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the New London tide gauge, 7 miles from Niantic, has risen 1.16 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1938 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 66 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 23 | 2.7 | 5 | 41 |
| Feb | 40 | 25 | 2.2 | 5 | 39 |
| Mar | 47 | 31 | 3.8 | 5 | 43 |
| Apr | 56 | 39 | 3.6 | 6 | 49 |
| May | 65 | 49 | 3.3 | 7 | 56 |
| Jun | 74 | 58 | 3.3 | 6 | 64 |
| Jul | 80 | 65 | 3.2 | 5 | 71 |
| Aug | 79 | 64 | 3.3 | 5 | 71 |
| Sep | 74 | 57 | 3.8 | 5 | 70 |
| Oct | 63 | 46 | 3.7 | 5 | 63 |
| Nov | 53 | 37 | 3.2 | 5 | 55 |
| Dec | 44 | 29 | 3.1 | 6 | 46 |
| Year | 59 | 43 | 39.2 | 65 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Groton New London Airport, CT (10 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station New London, CT, 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 Niantic
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Niantic: 31 flash floods, 23 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $679,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 71 mph, on August 4, 2015. September has had the most flash floods, 14 of 31. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 99 have had fewer than Niantic.
September 6, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Niantic — 1 killed, 2 injured, $15,000 damage.
March 14, 2010: flood 6 miles from the centre of Niantic — 1 killed.
March 30, 2010: flood 8 miles from the centre of Niantic — $315,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Niantic's ZIP code 06357 have filed 169 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Sandy in 2012: 65 claims (38% of all) and $3.4 million, then Not a named storm in 1982 with 22 and March 2010 Nor'easter in 2010 with 19. 82% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Connecticut cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 96 have fewer than Niantic.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sandy2012 | 65 | $3.4 million |
| Not a named storm1982 | 22 | $18,000 |
| March 2010 Nor'easter2010 | 19 | $170,000 |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 12 | $46,000 |
New London County, which includes Niantic, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 9 severe storms, 7 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Remnants of Hurricane Ida, on October 30, 2021.
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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.