NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Steep Falls, ME
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
35 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Steep Falls, Maine since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 25
- 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 Steep Falls
The strongest storm to pass near Steep Falls was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1869, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near Steep Falls begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 6 systems. Of the 35 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Steep Falls has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 160 Maine cities on this site. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 24, 2008, came within 19 miles. Of the 25, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on August 22, 2020. Steep Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 160 Maine cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1964, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Steep Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 160 Maine cities.
Compare Steep Falls's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Steep Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 45 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 32 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 27 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 1 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Steep Falls: 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 Steep Falls
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s10
- 2000s3
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2008 | EF2 | 19 mi | 50.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Oct 10, 1966 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 20 mi | 2.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 2017 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF1 | 6 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2010 | EF1 | 20 mi | 5.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2010 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F1 | 15 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1974 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 24, 1972 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Steep Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Steep Falls since 1964, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 1, 1986. The most recent report is from July 21, 2022. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Steep Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is West Buxton 2 NNW, ME, 6 miles south of Steep Falls at 220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 8°F. October is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 49.7 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 49.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 35 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (16); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.9 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 171 nights a year. That 49.7 inches is more than at 35 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (74%). Sebago, 8 miles north, has its own station (East Hiram, ME): 49.8 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Portland, ME, 21 miles east, averaged 63°F in August and 36°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Portland tide gauge, 21 miles from Steep Falls, has risen 0.78 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1912 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 7.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 37 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 8 | 3.5 | 7 | 39 |
| Feb | 34 | 10 | 3.4 | 6 | 36 |
| Mar | 43 | 20 | 4.3 | 7 | 39 |
| Apr | 56 | 31 | 4.7 | 7 | 44 |
| May | 67 | 43 | 3.8 | 8 | 50 |
| Jun | 76 | 52 | 4.3 | 7 | 57 |
| Jul | 82 | 58 | 4.0 | 7 | 61 |
| Aug | 81 | 56 | 3.5 | 5 | 63 |
| Sep | 73 | 48 | 3.9 | 6 | 62 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 5.5 | 7 | 57 |
| Nov | 48 | 26 | 4.4 | 7 | 50 |
| Dec | 37 | 16 | 4.4 | 7 | 43 |
| Year | 57 | 34 | 49.7 | 81 | 50 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at West Buxton 2 NNW, ME (220 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Portland, ME, 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 Steep Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Steep Falls: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $502,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 21, 2022.
July 18, 2008: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Steep Falls — 2 killed.
July 21, 2022: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Steep Falls — 1 killed, $300,000 damage.
August 24, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Steep Falls — $132,000 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
Cumberland County, which includes Steep Falls, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 8 floods, 8 snowstorms, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cumberland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail, coastal flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $69.2 million a year, the highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $26.9 million (39%), 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.