NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Union, 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
38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Union, New Hampshire since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 31 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 31
- 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 Union
The strongest storm to pass near Union was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1869, whose centre came within 12 miles. The record near Union begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 6 systems. Of the 38 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 142 New Hampshire cities on this site, 61% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Union. The highest rating among the 31 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 8 times; the most recent, on July 24, 2008, came within 7 miles. Of the 31, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on August 22, 2020. Union has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 142 New Hampshire cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 142 New Hampshire cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Union.
Compare Union's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Union
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 5 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 51 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 16 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | overhead | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 24 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 44 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 12 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Union: 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 Union
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s4
- 1970s6
- 1960s5
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2008 | EF2 | 7 mi | 50.46 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jul 6, 1999 | F2 | 11 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1981 | F2 | 4 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1976 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1972 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 10, 1966 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1963 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1963 | F2 | 10 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2010 | EF1 | 12 mi | 5.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2010 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 2006 | F1 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 31, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Union
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Union since 1962, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 26, 2009. The most recent report is from June 17, 2022. July has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Union
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sanford 2 NNW, ME, 13 miles east of Union at 289 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 10°F. October is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 51.4 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (26.2 of 51.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 3.8 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 156 nights a year. That 51.4 inches is more than at 37 of the 39 New Hampshire stations used on this site (95%). Milton, 2 miles southeast, has its own station (Rochester Skyhaven Airport, NH): 41.2 inches a year, 10.2 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 10 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 35 | 11 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 44 | 20 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 57 | 30 | 4.6 | 7 |
| May | 68 | 41 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 51 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 56 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 55 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 47 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 36 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Nov | 48 | 27 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Dec | 37 | 17 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Year | 58 | 33 | 51.4 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sanford 2 NNW, ME (289 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 Union
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Union: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 5 lightning strikes and 4 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on August 5, 2002.
September 24, 2006: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Union — 1 killed.
August 9, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Union — 6 injured.
July 15, 2007: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Union — 3 injured.
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 Union, 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.