NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Norwich, 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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Norwich, Vermont since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Norwich
The strongest storm to pass near Norwich was Carol in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Gloria in 1985, whose centre came within 40 miles. The record near Norwich begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 44 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 4 systems. Of the 22 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Norwich has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 75 Vermont cities on this site. The highest rating among the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 11, 1973, came within 21 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2024. Norwich has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 45% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 26 times since 1980, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 75 Vermont cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Norwich.
Compare Norwich's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Norwich
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 40 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 49 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Norwich: 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 Norwich
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s5
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1973 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 1966 | F2 | 21 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2011 | EF1 | 16 mi | 2.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1999 | F1 | 11 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1972 | F1 | 15 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1972 | F1 | 9 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1972 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1963 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 2.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1973 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1962 | F0 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Norwich
The Storm Prediction Center has 26 hail reports within 10 miles of Norwich since 1980, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 28, 2012. The most recent report is from May 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Norwich
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hanover, NH, 2 miles south of Norwich at 584 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°F. July is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 40.1 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 40.1 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 60.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.1 inches is more than at 8 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (24%). West Lebanon, NH, 6 miles south, has its own station (Lebanon Municipal Airport, NH): 38.0 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 13 | 2.7 | 6 | 16.4 |
| Feb | 34 | 14 | 2.4 | 5 | 13.1 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 3.0 | 6 | 13.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 35 | 3.2 | 7 | 1.9 |
| May | 71 | 46 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 55 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 3.4 | 7 | 13.4 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 40.1 | 75 | 60.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hanover, NH (584 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 Norwich
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Norwich: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 12 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $40.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 6, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 51 have had fewer than Norwich.
August 28, 2011: flood 4 miles from the centre of Norwich — $22.5 million damage.
July 2, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Norwich — $6.5 million damage.
July 1, 2017: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Norwich — $6.0 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
Windsor County, which includes Norwich, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on March 2, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Windsor County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low 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 $25.1 million a year, the 2nd highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (77%), 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.