NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ridgefield, 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
47 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ridgefield, Connecticut since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 9
- Tropical storms
- 38
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Ridgefield
The strongest storm to pass near Ridgefield was Carol in 1954, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 9 miles. The record near Ridgefield begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 58 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 47 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site, 76% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Ridgefield. The highest rating among the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 15, 2018, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F0 on June 12, 1991, killed 1 person. Of the 44, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2023. Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ridgefield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1961, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Ridgefield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 48% of the 186 Connecticut cities.
Compare Ridgefield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ridgefield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 23 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 48 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 72 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 70 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 31 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 68 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 47 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 9 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 72 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ridgefield: 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 Ridgefield
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s8
- 2000s11
- 1990s9
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2018 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 29, 1971 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1971 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1951 | F2 | 23 mi | 43.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 14, 1950 | F2 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF1 | 11 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF1 | 15 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2018 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ridgefield
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Ridgefield since 1961, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 20, 2001. The most recent report is from August 27, 2020. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ridgefield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danbury Municipal Airport, CT, 5 miles north of Ridgefield at 457 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 18°F. September is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 48.1 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (26.7 of 48.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 47 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (21); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. That 48.1 inches is more than at 10 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (37%). Wilton, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Stamford 5 N, CT): 51.5 inches a year, 3.4 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Bridgeport, CT, 18 miles southeast, averaged 76°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Bridgeport tide gauge, 18 miles from Ridgefield, has risen 1.35 ± 0.08 inches per decade from 1964 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 13.5 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 81 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 18 | 3.1 | 6 | 42 |
| Feb | 39 | 20 | 2.7 | 5 | 39 |
| Mar | 47 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 | 42 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.7 | 7 | 48 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 3.8 | 8 | 56 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 4.5 | 7 | 65 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.5 | 7 | 73 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.6 | 7 | 76 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 4.8 | 6 | 74 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 4.5 | 6 | 66 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 3.8 | 6 | 56 |
| Dec | 41 | 24 | 4.2 | 7 | 46 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 48.1 | 78 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danbury Municipal Airport, CT (457 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Bridgeport, CT, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Ridgefield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 233 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ridgefield: 158 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 flash floods, 21 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $780,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 18, 2012. September has had the most flash floods, 16 of 46. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 135 have had fewer than Ridgefield.
October 1, 2010: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Ridgefield — 2 killed.
May 15, 2018: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Ridgefield — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
June 22, 2011: heavy rain event 9 miles from the centre of Ridgefield — 1 killed.
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 Ridgefield's ZIP code 06877 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $533,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Floyd in 1999: 10 claims (16% of all) and $35,000. 42% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Connecticut cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 68 have fewer than Ridgefield.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Floyd1999 | 10 | $35,000 |
Fairfield County, which includes Ridgefield, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 8 snowstorms, 3 floods). 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.