NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Topsfield, 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
47 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Topsfield, Massachusetts since 1851, 8 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 8
- Tropical storms
- 39
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Topsfield
The strongest storm to pass near Topsfield was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1869, whose centre came within 11 miles. The record near Topsfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The 1870s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 47 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities on this site, 76% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Topsfield. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 29, 1974, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on August 9, 1972, killed 1 person. Of the 33, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on August 22, 2016. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Topsfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1961, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 346 Massachusetts cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Topsfield.
Compare Topsfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Topsfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 21 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 56 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 65 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 30 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 55 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 68 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 35 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 11 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 55 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 Topsfield: 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 Topsfield
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s3
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s11(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 9, 1953 | F3 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 21, 2006 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 21, 1972 | F2 | 20 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 28, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1961 | F2 | 16 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 25, 1958 | F2 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1958 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 21, 1956 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1951 | F2 | 16 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1951 | F2 | 8 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Topsfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Topsfield since 1961, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on August 28, 1965. The most recent report is from July 23, 2021. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Topsfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beverly Municipal Airport, MA, 4 miles south of Topsfield at 108 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 20°F. October is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 44.9 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.7 of 44.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 47 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. That 44.9 inches is more than at 12 of the 65 Massachusetts stations used on this site (18%). Boxford, 4 miles northwest, has its own station (Groveland, MA): 49.1 inches a year, 4.2 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
Sea level at the Boston tide gauge, 21 miles from Topsfield, 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" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 45 | 28 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 4.3 | 8 |
| May | 67 | 47 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 53 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 42 | 26 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Year | 59 | 41 | 44.9 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beverly Municipal Airport, MA (108 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 Topsfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 222 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Topsfield: 149 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 floods, 18 flash floods and 14 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $16.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on September 6, 2014. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 18. Of the 339 Massachusetts cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 157 have had fewer than Topsfield.
March 14, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Topsfield — 1 killed, 1 injured, $9.8 million damage.
July 2, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Topsfield — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
July 3, 2008: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Topsfield — 1 injured, $3,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Topsfield's ZIP code 01983 have filed 27 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $433,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 52% 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, 83 have fewer than Topsfield.
Essex County, which includes Topsfield, has been named in 40 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 8 snowstorms, 7 floods, 7 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Essex County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding; Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $198.8 million a year, the 2nd highest of 14 Massachusetts counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $124.6 million (63%), 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.