Storm Records: Connecticut
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in Connecticut: its floods, heat, cold, winter storms, hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes, year by year and county by county, each episode with its narrative.
The worst in Connecticut on the map
The deadliest and costliest episodes on record here, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 7,163
- Deaths
- 67
- Injuries
- 947
- Damage
- $848 million
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Every year
Tap a year for every episode in it.
Deaths each year
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,455 | 12 | 77 | $20 million |
| Hail | 691 | 0 | 1 | $403,000 |
| Flash Flood | 619 | 5 | 0 | $24 million |
| Heavy Snow | 599 | 1 | 1 | $25 million |
| Winter Weather | 478 | 4 | 50 | $326,000 |
| High Wind | 349 | 13 | 16 | $14 million |
| Flood | 347 | 6 | 4 | $27 million |
| Winter Storm | 305 | 2 | 1 | $7.0 million |
| Strong Wind | 281 | 3 | 9 | $4.7 million |
| Lightning | 171 | 4 | 78 | $2.5 million |
| Heat | 136 | 1 | 0 | |
| Tornado | 130 | 4 | 703 | $603 million |
| Heavy Rain | 126 | 4 | 2 | $119,000 |
| Drought | 73 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 68 | 0 | 0 | |
| Coastal Flood | 67 | 2 | 0 | |
| Blizzard | 54 | 1 | 0 | |
| Excessive Heat | 49 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tropical Storm | 40 | 2 | 2 | $114 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 36 | 0 | 0 | |
| Frost/Freeze | 36 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ice Storm | 25 | 1 | 3 | $4.6 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 19 | 0 | 0 | |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tropical Depression | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rip Current | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, October 3, 1979
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 29, 2012Post Tropical Storm Sandy was the costliest natural disaster in Southeast New York. Tropical Storm Sandy formed in the Caribbean Sea on October 22.
- Flash Flooding in Connecticut, August 18, 2024A frontal system over the area on August 18th allowed for the development of rain early in the morning.
- Flooding in Connecticut, October 15, 2005A low pressure system interacted with a plume of tropical moisture as the low slowly moved parallel to the Long Island and south Massachusetts coasts, resulting in excessive rain and flooding across north central and northeast Connecticut.
- High Wind in Connecticut, March 13, 2010High winds occurred across the area as deep low pressure settled just south and strong high pressure remained to the north.
- High Wind in Connecticut, February 25, 1996A deep low pressure system over northern Maine combined with a strong high pressure area centered over South Carolina to produce a "tight pressure gradient" and a period of very powerful and damaging west to northwest winds.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Connecticut, May 15, 2018An approaching cold front triggered numerous severe thunderstorms over southern Connecticut. These storms produced 2 tornadoes in the Lower Hudson Valley, as well as microbursts and macroburts.
- Heavy Rain in Connecticut, August 20 to 21, 1997A low pressure system developed over the lower Midwest on Wednesday, August 20th. As it moved slowly east-northeast, it intensified. The low passed over Pennsylvania and moved south of Long Island during Thursday morning.The low produced heavy rain and strong gusty winds.
- Rip Current in Connecticut, October 19, 2002As a cold front pushed east toward a relatively strong high pressure system, southwest surface winds rapidly increased and seas quickly built during Saturday morning, October 19th.
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Connecticut, January 6 to 7, 2009The combination of a weak high retreating over the northeast and deepening low pressure over the Great Lakes resulted in a significant accumulation of ice across interior portions of southern Connecticut from the evening of January 6 into the afternoon of January 7.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Connecticut, October 1, 2010Low pressure tracked up the east coast and interacted with a stalled frontal boundary and approaching upper level low pressure system.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, July 10, 1989
- Tropical Storm and Flooding in Connecticut, August 28, 2011Hurricane Irene formed east of the Caribbean island of Dominica, part of the Lesser Antilles region, on the afternoon of August 20. Irene moved through the Caribbean and up the east coast of the United States making landfall twice.
- Tropical Storm in Connecticut, August 4, 2020Category 1 Hurricane Isaias with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, NC at 11:10 pm on August 3rd. Isaias' intensity weakened back to Tropical Storm strength as its forward speed increased to near 30 mph during the early morning of August 4th.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Connecticut, October 29 to 30, 2011A rare and historic October Nor'easter brought very heavy snow to portions of southern New England on Saturday October 29. Low pressure tracked northeast from the North Carolina coast Saturday morning, rapidly strengthening as it passed well south of Nantucket Saturday evening.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Connecticut, May 24, 1962
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 29, 2012Sandy, a hybrid storm with both tropical and extra-tropical characteristics, brought high winds and coastal flooding to southern New England.
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 19, 1996On Friday October 18th, a strong low pressure system developed on a cold front over the DelMarVa Peninsula.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Connecticut, September 16 to 18, 1999Torrential record rainfall, which caused serious widespread urban, small stream, and river flooding, preceded the remnants of Hurricane Floyd, which passed over Western Suffolk County of Long Island around 8 pm and across Central Connecticut from 9 pm to 11 pm on the 16th.Death:…
- High Wind in Connecticut, March 1 to 2, 2018A deep area of low pressure passed off the coast.
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in Connecticut, March 13 to 15, 2010A Nor'easter developed off the Delmarva peninsula which produced an extended period of heavy rainfall across the area as it tracked very slowly to the northeast. This caused widespread flooding across portions of New London County.
- Lightning Strikes and Strong Wind in Connecticut, May 8, 2010An area of low pressure moved to the north dragging a cold front through on May 8th 2010. The pressure gradient tightened considerably behind this front as the low moved to the northeast of the area. A fatal lightning strike also occurred with the system.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 8, 2008Numerous severe thunderstorms developed as a weak upper level trough interacted with a hot and humid airmass across the region. Strong downburst winds were characteristic of many of the storms.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 30, 2019A strong upper level disturbance triggered severe thunderstorms across Southern Connecticut.
- Damaging Winds in Connecticut, September 6, 2017A passing cold front triggered isolated severe thunderstorms, which impacted New London County.
The costliest
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, July 10, 1989
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, October 3, 1979
- Tropical Storm and Flooding in Connecticut, August 28, 2011
- Tropical Storm in Connecticut, August 4, 2020
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Connecticut, October 29 to 30, 2011
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in Connecticut, March 28 to 31, 2010
- Tropical Storm in Connecticut, August 4, 2020
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 24, 2010
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, December 7 to 8, 1996
- Flash Flooding in Connecticut, August 11 to 12, 2000
- Flooding in Connecticut, October 15, 2005
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Connecticut, September 1 to 2, 2021
- Damaging Winds in Connecticut, August 2, 2018
- Tornadoes in Connecticut, July 1, 2013
- Tornadoes and Hail in Connecticut, May 24, 1962
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, March 5 to 6, 2001
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 29, 2012
- Winter Storm in Connecticut, February 1 to 2, 2011
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Connecticut, February 1 to 2, 2011
- Ice Storm and High Wind in Connecticut, November 16 to 18, 2002
- Tornado in Connecticut, September 6, 1973
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Connecticut, June 24, 1985
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 29, 2012
- High Wind in Connecticut, October 19, 1996
- Tornado in Connecticut, July 3, 1996
Counties
Every storm event filed in each county, including the zone-filed ones that covered it.
Counties and zones as filed
The places filed most often, as the offices named them.
| County or zone | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litchfield | 921 | 3 | 52 | $58 million |
| Fairfield | 823 | 14 | 68 | $30 million |
| Hartford | 810 | 4 | 533 | $281 million |
| New Haven | 647 | 9 | 157 | $286 million |
| Northern Litchfield zone | 359 | 1 | 3 | $833,000 |
| New London | 356 | 4 | 27 | $7.9 million |
| Tolland | 329 | 0 | 11 | $2.1 million |
| Southern Litchfield zone | 310 | 2 | 0 | $38,000 |
| Hartford zone | 298 | 3 | 10 | $59 million |
| Windham | 292 | 1 | 2 | $3.9 million |
| Middlesex | 233 | 2 | 15 | $1.4 million |
| Southern Fairfield zone | 224 | 11 | 9 | $15 million |
| Northern New Haven zone | 200 | 4 | 8 | $13 million |
| Tolland zone | 188 | 3 | 2 | $30 million |
| Northern Fairfield zone | 187 | 1 | 46 | $11 million |
| Southern New Haven zone | 187 | 2 | 1 | $13 million |
| Windham zone | 181 | 1 | 1 | $24 million |
| Southern New London zone | 159 | 0 | 1 | $2.8 million |
| Northern New London zone | 141 | 0 | 0 | $3.0 million |
| Northern Middlesex zone | 134 | 1 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| Southern Middlesex zone | 124 | 1 | 1 | $1.6 million |
| Litchfield zone | 55 | 0 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ctz002 - 006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | $55,000 |
Every year
More
Every tornado in ConnecticutEvery warning in Connecticut since 1986River gauges in ConnecticutEvery state
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.