NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Scituate, 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
50 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Scituate, Massachusetts since 1851, 11 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 11
- Tropical storms
- 39
- Tornadoes
- 22
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Scituate
The strongest storm to pass near Scituate was Edna in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1944, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Scituate begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 70 miles away. Of the 50 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Scituate has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site. The highest rating among the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 28, 2014, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on August 9, 1972, killed 1 person. Of the 22, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 18, 2023. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Scituate. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1956, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Scituate.
Compare Scituate's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Scituate
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 2 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 41 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 39 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 47 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 4 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | overhead | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 26 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 58 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 39 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 22 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 29 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 41 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 46 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 Scituate: 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 Scituate
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s3
- 1990s2
- 1980s4
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 18, 1967 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 21, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1972 | F1 | 24 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1989 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 16, 1986 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1973 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 7, 1971 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1964 | F1 | 7 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 1964 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Scituate
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Scituate since 1956, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 2, 2004. The most recent report is from July 14, 2022. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Scituate
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hingham, MA, 8 miles west of Scituate at 35 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 22°F. March is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 52.3 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (24.9 of 52.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 50 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.9 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 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 50.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.3 inches is more than at 56 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (86%). Marshfield, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Plymouth-Kingston, MA): 52.7 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
Sea level at the Boston tide gauge, 18 miles from Scituate, has risen 1.17 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1921 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.7 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 68 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 22 | 4.5 | 7 | 14.8 |
| Feb | 40 | 23 | 4.0 | 7 | 14.5 |
| Mar | 47 | 29 | 5.4 | 7 | 10.3 |
| Apr | 58 | 38 | 4.6 | 8 | 1.7 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 57 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 55 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 43 | 27 | 5.1 | 8 | 8.8 |
| Year | 60 | 42 | 52.3 | 84 | 50.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hingham, MA (35 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 Scituate
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Scituate: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 floods, 9 lightning strikes and 7 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $16.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on June 22, 1997. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 7. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 69 have had fewer than Scituate.
June 22, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Scituate — 1 killed.
June 20, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Scituate — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 20, 2008: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Scituate — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 49 year old man was walking on the beach when he was struck by lightning and knocked unconscious. His wife was with him but was unharmed.”
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 Scituate's ZIP code 02066 have filed 3,196 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $60.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from The "Halloween" Storm in 1991: 709 claims (22% of all) and $24.6 million, then Flooding in 1978 with 560 and December Storm - Nor'easter in 1992 with 459. 59% 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, 228 have fewer than Scituate.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| The "Halloween" Storm1991 | 709 | $24.6 million |
| Flooding1978 | 560 | $5.6 million |
| December Storm - Nor'easter1992 | 459 | $5.6 million |
| Not a named storm1979 | 106 | $267,000 |
| April 2007 Nor'easter2007 | 33 | $963,000 |
| March 2010 Nor'easter2010 | 13 | $31,000 |
Plymouth County, which includes Scituate, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 5 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, on April 18, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Plymouth County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding; Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $114.3 million a year, the 6th highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $71.4 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.