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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Plymouth, 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

50 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Plymouth, Connecticut since 1851, 10 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
10

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
40

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
64

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

4 deaths in all

What the records show for Plymouth

The strongest storm to pass near Plymouth was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1938, whose centre came within 6 miles. The record near Plymouth begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 74 miles away. The 1860s and the 1890s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 50 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site, 47% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Plymouth. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 10, 1989, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on October 3, 1979, killed 3 people. Of the 64, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on June 21, 2024. Plymouth has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 186 Connecticut cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Plymouth has more hail reports within 10 miles than 88% of the 186 Connecticut cities.

Compare Plymouth's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Plymouth

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Plymouth, Connecticut, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaSep 274 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4
2021HenriAug 2255 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
2021ElsaJul 964 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
2020IsaiasAug 472 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 1
2013AndreaJun 864 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2011IreneAug 2822 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 3
2008HannaSep 735 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1999FloydSep 1723 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1996BerthaJul 1320 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1985GloriaSep 278 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 4
1985HenriSep 2466 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1976BelleAug 109 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1972AgnesJun 2246 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 1
1971DoriaAug 2814 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
1968Unnamed 1968 stormSep 115 miTropical storm (62 mph)Tropical storm
1961Unnamed 1961 stormSep 1529 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1960DonnaSep 1242 miCategory 1 (91 mph)Category 4
1960BrendaJul 3014 miTropical storm (53 mph)Tropical storm
1955DianeAug 1966 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1954CarolAug 3159 miCategory 3 (113 mph)Category 3
1952AbleSep 123 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 2
1944Unnamed 1944 stormSep 1568 miCategory 2 (102 mph)Category 5
1938Unnamed 1938 stormSep 216 miCategory 2 (107 mph)Category 5
1934Unnamed 1934 stormSep 921 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1962 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 3020 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1747 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 53 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 1
1908Unnamed 1908 stormMay 3060 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 1572 miCategory 1 (82 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1653 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 157 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1897Unnamed 1897 stormSep 2450 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 1040 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2940 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2424 miCategory 1 (78 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1244 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 227 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 2454 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2372 miTropical storm (71 mph)Category 2
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 568 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 3012 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 2634 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1869Unnamed 1869 stormSep 871 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 3
1866Unnamed 1866 stormOct 3042 miTropical storm (55 mph)Tropical storm
1863Unnamed 1863 stormSep 1931 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1861Unnamed 1861 stormNov 360 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1861Unnamed 1861 stormSep 287 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 1
1858Unnamed 1858 stormSep 1657 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 2
1851Unnamed 1851 stormOct 1973 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Plymouth: 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 Plymouth

By decade

  • 2020s9
  • 2010s12
  • 2000s9
  • 1990s7
  • 1980s5(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s13(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s2(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s7
Strongest tornadoes near Plymouth, Connecticut
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Oct 3, 1979F425 mi11.3 mi3 / 500
Jul 10, 1989F421 mi3 mi0 / 40
May 24, 1962F37 mi11.6 mi1 / 50
Jul 29, 1971F38 mi0.1 mi0 / 2
Jun 23, 2001F210 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Jul 10, 1989F26 mi5 mi0 / 70
Jul 10, 1989F210 mi10 mi0 / 4
Jul 5, 1984F25 mi3 mi0 / 0
Jun 30, 1976F224 mi1 mi0 / 0
Sep 18, 1973F29 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Aug 31, 1973F217 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jun 12, 1973F25 mi1.5 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Plymouth

The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Plymouth since 1960, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 26, 2009. The most recent report is from June 22, 2024. July has the most reports, 27.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Plymouth

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Burlington, CT, 11 miles northeast of Plymouth at 505 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 17°F. October is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 53.5 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (28.9 of 53.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 50 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (22); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 5.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.5 inches is more than at 24 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (89%). Oakville, 5 miles south, has its own station (Meriden Markham Municipal Airport, CT): 45.0 inches a year, 8.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Burlington, CT
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan36173.7711.1
Feb39183.4711.8
Mar47264.275.5
Apr60364.370.5
May70474.280.0
Jun79574.880.0
Jul84624.480.0
Aug82605.170.0
Sep75535.060.0
Oct63415.770.6
Nov52323.960.8
Dec41244.888.3
Year613953.58538.6

Averages for 1991–2020 at Burlington, CT (505 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.

Connecticut weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Plymouth

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 233 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Plymouth: 185 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 11 floods, 9 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $9.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 15, 1997. September has had the most flash floods, 10 of 27. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 92 have had fewer than Plymouth.

  • August 28, 2011: flood 4 miles from the centre of Plymouth — 1 killed, $8.0 million damage.

  • November 13, 2009: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Plymouth — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.

  • November 20, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Plymouth — 1 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

Litchfield County, which includes Plymouth, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 7 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 20, 2024.

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.

Cities near Plymouth