NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waitsfield, VT
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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waitsfield, Vermont since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isaias in 2020. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 8
- 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 Waitsfield
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waitsfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Waitsfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1866; the most recent system was Isaias in 2020, a tropical storm 8 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 75 Vermont cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Waitsfield. The highest rating among the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 5 times; the most recent, on July 18, 2022, came within 24 miles. Of the 8, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. Of the 75 Vermont cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Waitsfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1987, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Waitsfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 75 Vermont cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waitsfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 5 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 3 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 24 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waitsfield: 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 Waitsfield
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2000s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 2021 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.65 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 9, 2009 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1973 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1965 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 18, 2022 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2009 | EF0 | 17 mi | 2.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1987 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waitsfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Waitsfield since 1987, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from August 24, 2020. July has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waitsfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Northfield, VT, 9 miles east of Waitsfield at 670 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 6°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 44.8 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 44.8 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal August there has highs of 79°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 181 nights a year. Snowfall averages 75.8 inches a year, most of it in December. That 44.8 inches is more than at 23 of the 33 Vermont stations used on this site (70%). Bristol, 11 miles west, has its own station (S Lincoln, VT): 49.5 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and a July average high of 76°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 6 | 3.2 | 7 | 17.9 |
| Feb | 32 | 7 | 2.7 | 6 | 15.0 |
| Mar | 41 | 17 | 3.1 | 7 | 13.9 |
| Apr | 54 | 29 | 3.7 | 8 | 3.3 |
| May | 68 | 41 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 51 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 55 | 5.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 53 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 46 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 35 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 26 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.1 |
| Dec | 35 | 15 | 3.7 | 9 | 21.3 |
| Year | 56 | 32 | 44.8 | 95 | 75.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Northfield, VT (670 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 Waitsfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 73 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waitsfield: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods and 10 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 18, 2018. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 12. Of the 74 Vermont cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 34 have had fewer than Waitsfield.
August 28, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Waitsfield — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene caused extensive flooding across Chittenden County in the Winooski River Valley and other rivers such as the Browns River. homes and businesses were flooded in Richmond, and hundreds of acres of farmland were inundated.”
April 26, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Waitsfield — $1.0 million damage.
July 10, 2023: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Waitsfield — $1.0 million 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 Waitsfield's ZIP code 05673 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1998, and were paid $951,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irene in 2011: 25 claims (83% of all) and $892,000. 90% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 43 Vermont cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 22 have fewer than Waitsfield.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 25 | $892,000 |
Washington County, which includes Waitsfield, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 28 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 13 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on August 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.2 million a year, the 3rd highest of 14 Vermont counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.6 million (79%), 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 Waitsfield
- Northfield, VT9 mi
- Bristol, VT11 mi
- Waterbury, VT12 mi
- Montpelier, VT13 mi
- Waterbury Center, VT14 mi
- Williamstown, VT16 mi
- Richmond, VT16 mi
- Hinesburg, VT16 mi
- Barre, VT17 mi
- Randolph, VT18 mi
- Middlebury, VT21 mi
- Stowe, VT21 mi
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