NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Provincetown, 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
61 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Provincetown, Massachusetts since 1851, 14 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Wanda in 2021. Since 1950, 2 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 14
- Tropical storms
- 47
- Tornadoes
- 2
- 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 Provincetown
The strongest storm to pass near Provincetown was Gerda in 1969, a Category 3 hurricane with 113 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1904, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Provincetown begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Wanda in 2021, a tropical storm 61 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 10 systems, 3 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 61 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Provincetown has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site. The highest rating among the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF0, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2021, came within 22 miles. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Provincetown.
Compare Provincetown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Provincetown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | WandaOct 27 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 32 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1988 | AlbertoAug 7 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | AlfaAug 1 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 4 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | HeidiSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 9 | 70 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 10 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 4 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 29 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 17 | 58 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 26 | 49 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormAug 10 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | overhead | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormOct 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormNov 27 | 67 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 28 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 23 | 56 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 12 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormOct 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 8 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 60 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 72 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Provincetown: 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 Provincetown
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2012 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 2 of 2, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Provincetown
The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Provincetown since 1955.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Provincetown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Provincetown: 7 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $37,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on July 15, 2016.
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 Provincetown's ZIP code 02657 have filed 307 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $8.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1987: 30 claims (10% of all) and $239,000, then December Storm - Nor'easter in 1992 with 15. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 87. 22% 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, 205 have fewer than Provincetown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1987 | 30 | $239,000 |
| December Storm - Nor'easter1992 | 15 | $211,000 |
Barnstable County, which includes Provincetown, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Barnstable County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding; Relatively High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $82.3 million a year, the 9th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $44.2 million (54%), 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 Provincetown
- Wellfleet, MA13 mi
- Eastham, MA18 mi
- Dennis, MA22 mi
- Brewster, MA22 mi
- Orleans, MA22 mi
- South Dennis, MA24 mi
- Yarmouth Port, MA24 mi
- Plymouth, MA25 mi
- Sagamore Beach, MA25 mi
- Harwich, MA25 mi
- Barnstable, MA25 mi
- East Sandwich, MA25 mi
All Massachusetts cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Provincetown with another place →