NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pownal, 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
23 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pownal, Vermont since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 27
- 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 Pownal
The strongest storm to pass near Pownal was an unnamed storm in 1938, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Pownal begins with an unnamed storm in 1861; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 31 miles away. Of the 23 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Pownal has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 75 Vermont cities on this site. The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 31, 1998; its path came within 11 miles. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2020. Pownal has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 75 Vermont cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Pownal has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 75 Vermont cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pownal
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 48 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 9 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 61 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 Pownal: 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 Pownal
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s5
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | F3 | 11 mi | 30.5 mi | 0 / 68 |
| May 31, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1973 | F2 | 17 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 1, 1966 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1955 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | EF1 | 19 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 3 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 19 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2002 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pownal
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Pownal since 1960, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 22, 1964. The most recent report is from June 23, 2024. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pownal
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is North Adams Harriman Airport, MA, 6 miles south of Pownal at 654 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 14°F. August is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 42.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 23 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 72°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. That 42.3 inches is more than at 17 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (52%). Bennington, 8 miles north, has its own station (Bennington Morse St Airport, VT): 38.8 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 14 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 35 | 16 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 3.1 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Aug | 79 | 56 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 49 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 42.3 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at North Adams Harriman Airport, MA (654 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 Pownal
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 178 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pownal: 133 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 15 floods and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on September 9, 2007. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 24. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 70 have had fewer than Pownal.
July 27, 2007: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Pownal — 1 injured, $750,000 damage.
July 10, 2023: flood 6 miles from the centre of Pownal — $1.5 million damage.
August 7, 2008: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Pownal — $200,000 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
Bennington County, which includes Pownal, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on July 14, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bennington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.6 million (62%), 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 Pownal
- Williamstown, MA6 mi
- Bennington, VT8 mi
- Petersburg, NY8 mi
- North Adams, MA8 mi
- Hoosick Falls, NY11 mi
- North Bennington, VT11 mi
- Adams, MA12 mi
- Lanesboro, MA15 mi
- Cheshire, MA16 mi
- Johnsonville, NY16 mi
- Averill Park, NY19 mi
- Wilmington, VT19 mi
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