NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sterling, 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
56 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sterling, Connecticut since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 32 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 44
- Tornadoes
- 32
- 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 Sterling
The strongest storm to pass near Sterling was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 110 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1858, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near Sterling begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 57 miles away. Of the 56 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Sterling has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site. The highest rating among the 32 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on August 18, 2023, came within 13 miles. Of the 32, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sterling. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1955, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 186 Connecticut cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sterling.
Compare Sterling's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sterling
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 30 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 50 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 11 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 71 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 2 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 23 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 58 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 36 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 53 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 72 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 13 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 1 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sterling: 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 Sterling
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s8
- 2000s1
- 1990s4
- 1980s6
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Oct 12, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 20, 1951 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 6 mi | 1.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 14 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2018 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2018 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 32, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sterling
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Sterling since 1955, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently July 3, 2025. The most recent report is from July 3, 2025. July has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sterling
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is N Foster 1 E, RI, 10 miles northeast of Sterling at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. March and December are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 53.8 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (26.5 of 53.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 56 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 72°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 62.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.8 inches is more than at 25 of the 27 Connecticut stations used on this site (93%). Moosup, 3 miles west, has its own station (Hampton, CT): 50.6 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Providence, RI, 22 miles east, averaged 72°F in August and 36°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Providence tide gauge, 22 miles from Sterling, has risen 1.04 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1938 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 10.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 58 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 4.5 | 8 | 15.5 | 39 |
| Feb | 38 | 20 | 3.9 | 7 | 15.6 | 36 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 5.2 | 8 | 13.4 | 40 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 4.7 | 8 | 2.6 | 47 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 | 55 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 | 64 |
| Jul | 80 | 61 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 | 71 |
| Aug | 79 | 60 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Sep | 72 | 53 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 68 |
| Oct | 61 | 42 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.5 | 61 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 4.5 | 7 | 2.0 | 52 |
| Dec | 40 | 24 | 5.2 | 8 | 12.4 | 42 |
| Year | 58 | 40 | 53.8 | 87 | 62.0 | 54 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at N Foster 1 E, RI (630 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Providence, RI, 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 Sterling
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 95 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sterling: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 6 floods, 5 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $25.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 26, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 186 Connecticut cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 16 have had fewer than Sterling.
March 29, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of Sterling — 1 injured, $24.8 million damage.
September 2, 2013: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Sterling — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain over the same part of Rhode Island for the second day in a row resulted in widespread flash flooding across much of Kent County and Cranston. Information on flooding in Cranston can be found in a separate event entry for Providence County.”
October 20, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Sterling — $100,000 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
Windham County, which includes Sterling, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 7 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Isaias, on January 12, 2021.
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.