NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Strafford, NH
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
40 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Strafford, New Hampshire since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 35
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Strafford
The strongest storm to pass near Strafford was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Carol in 1954, whose centre came within 10 miles. The record near Strafford begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 6 systems. Of the 40 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Strafford has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 39% of the 142 New Hampshire cities on this site. The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 9, 1953; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on July 24, 2008, killed 1 person. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on August 22, 2020. Strafford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 142 New Hampshire cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1964, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 142 New Hampshire cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Strafford.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Strafford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 52 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 25 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 10 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 22 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 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 51 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 14 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Strafford: 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 Strafford
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s7
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 24, 2008 | EF2 | 4 mi | 50.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jul 6, 1999 | F2 | 5 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1981 | F2 | 11 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1976 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1972 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 10, 1966 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1963 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1963 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1963 | F2 | 9 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1957 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 29, 2006 | F1 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Strafford
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Strafford since 1964, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 18, 2008. The most recent report is from August 15, 2024. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Strafford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rochester Skyhaven Airport, NH, 13 miles east of Strafford at 323 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 41.2 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (22.3 of 41.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 40 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. That 41.2 inches is more than at 8 of the 39 New Hampshire stations used on this site (21%). Northwood, 3 miles southwest, has its own station (Durham, NH): 45.3 inches a year, 4.1 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 2.2 | 6 |
| Mar | 44 | 25 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 77 | 54 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 60 | 39 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 41.2 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rochester Skyhaven Airport, NH (323 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 Strafford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Strafford: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 floods and 4 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $310,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 28, 2018.
July 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind in Strafford — 8 injured.
NWS: “A microburst from a severe thunderstorm downed numerous large trees around the Bow Lake area. One tree landed on a house near Bow Lake where eight people had taken cover from the storm.”
February 25, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Strafford — $100,000 damage.
December 23, 2022: flood 10 miles from the centre of Strafford — $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
Strafford County, which includes Strafford, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Strafford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.1 million a year, the 6th highest of 10 New Hampshire counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.5 million (71%), 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 Strafford
- Northwood, NH3 mi
- Center Barnstead, NH7 mi
- Barrington, NH8 mi
- Pittsfield, NH8 mi
- Deerfield, NH9 mi
- Epsom, NH9 mi
- Rochester, NH10 mi
- Nottingham, NH10 mi
- Chichester, NH11 mi
- Farmington, NH11 mi
- New Durham, NH13 mi
- Lee, NH14 mi
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