NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Van Buren, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Van Buren, Maine since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Irene in 2011. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Van Buren
The strongest storm to pass near Van Buren was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Van Buren begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Irene in 2011, a tropical storm 32 miles away. The 1890s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 19 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 160 Maine cities on this site, 93% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Van Buren. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 15, 1958, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on August 11, 1954, killed 1 person. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on July 18, 2016. Of the 160 Maine cities, 48% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Van Buren. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 8 times since 1957, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 160 Maine cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Van Buren.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Van Buren
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | IreneAug 29 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 4 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 35 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 25 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 17 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Van Buren: 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 Van Buren
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 1954 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 15, 1958 | F2 | 17 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1994 | F1 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 1, 1971 | F1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 21, 1965 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 1963 | F1 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1961 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 1960 | F1 | 17 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2016 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2011 | EF0 | 25 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2011 | EF0 | 11 mi | 8.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2009 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Van Buren
The Storm Prediction Center has 8 hail reports within 10 miles of Van Buren since 1957. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 4, 2007. The most recent report is from July 28, 2018.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Van Buren
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Van Buren 2, ME, 1 mile north of Van Buren at 456 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 76°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 19°F and -4°F. July is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.7 inches over 94 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (23.9 of 41.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 67°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 193 nights a year. Snowfall averages 96.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.7 inches is more than at 6 of the 47 Maine stations used on this site (13%). Caribou, 19 miles south, has its own station (Caribou Municipal Airport, ME): 40.8 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 76°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | -4 | 2.9 | 7 | 24.5 |
| Feb | 23 | -5 | 2.3 | 6 | 20.0 |
| Mar | 33 | 9 | 2.5 | 6 | 17.5 |
| Apr | 47 | 26 | 3.1 | 8 | 5.7 |
| May | 62 | 39 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 71 | 49 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 76 | 55 | 4.8 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 75 | 53 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 67 | 44 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 53 | 33 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 39 | 24 | 3.4 | 7 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 26 | 8 | 3.4 | 8 | 20.7 |
| Year | 49 | 28 | 41.7 | 94 | 96.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Van Buren 2, ME (456 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 Van Buren
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 26 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Van Buren: 13 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 14, 2016. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 8. Of the 154 Maine cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 111 have had fewer than Van Buren.
April 29, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Van Buren — $727,000 damage.
NWS: “50 inches of rain along with the melting of a record snowpack contributed to significant flooding across all of Aroostook county. All of the larger rivers across the county flooded to various extents.”
May 1, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Van Buren — $727,000 damage.
NWS: “50 inches of rain which fell in late April along with the melting of a record snowpack led to significant flooding across all of Aroostook county. All of the larger rivers across the county flooded to varying extents.”
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
Aroostook County, which includes Van Buren, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 snowstorms, 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Aroostook County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 16 Maine counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.6 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.
Cities near Van Buren
- Caribou, ME19 mi
- Madawaska, ME22 mi
- Fort Fairfield, ME26 mi
- Fort Kent, ME30 mi
- Presque Isle, ME32 mi
- Mapleton, ME33 mi
- Houlton, ME71 mi
- Millinocket, ME110 mi
- Lincoln, ME125 mi
- Milo, ME140 mi
- Calais, ME141 mi
- Baileyville, ME142 mi
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