NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pittsfield, 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
28 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pittsfield, Massachusetts since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 31 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 25
- Tornadoes
- 31
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Pittsfield
The strongest storm to pass near Pittsfield was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Pittsfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 39 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 4 systems. Of the 28 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site, 98% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Pittsfield. The highest rating among the 31 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 29, 1995, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on August 28, 1973, killed 4 people. Of the 31, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on February 25, 2017. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pittsfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Pittsfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 346 Massachusetts cities.
Compare Pittsfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pittsfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 39 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 23 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 12 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 2 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pittsfield: 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 Pittsfield
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s7
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1973 | F4 | 9 mi | 9.8 mi | 4 / 36 |
| May 29, 1995 | F4 | 19 mi | 11.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F2 | 23 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1995 | F2 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 2017 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 4 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 31, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pittsfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Pittsfield since 1972, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently June 8, 2011. The most recent report is from July 16, 2024. June has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pittsfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA, 3 miles southwest of Pittsfield at 1,194 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 14°F. June and October are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.3 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (25.2 of 44.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 28 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 70°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 153 nights a year. That 44.3 inches is more than at 10 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (15%). Cheshire, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (North Adams Harriman Airport, MA): 42.3 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 14 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 33 | 15 | 2.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 42 | 23 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.4 | 8 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 70 | 49 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Dec | 36 | 21 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Year | 56 | 36 | 44.3 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA (1,194 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 Pittsfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 366 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pittsfield: 307 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 flash floods, 11 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on October 16, 2021. July has had the most flash floods, 21 of 43. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 294 have had fewer than Pittsfield.
July 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Pittsfield — 1 killed.
July 12, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Pittsfield — 1 killed.
August 21, 2009: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pittsfield — 3 injured.
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 Pittsfield's ZIP code 01201 have filed 124 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $721,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 18 claims (15% of all) and $223,000. 20% 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, 174 have fewer than Pittsfield.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 18 | $223,000 |
Berkshire County, which includes Pittsfield, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1985, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 snowstorms, 6 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Berkshire County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $51.8 million a year, the 10th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.4 million (80%), 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.