Storm Records: Massachusetts
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in Massachusetts: 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 Massachusetts 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
- 16,438
- Deaths
- 164
- Injuries
- 2,049
- Damage
- $1.2 billion
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 | 4,575 | 13 | 134 | $54 million |
| Strong Wind | 2,133 | 8 | 34 | $6.1 million |
| High Wind | 1,592 | 7 | 23 | $34 million |
| Hail | 1,547 | 0 | 2 | $3.6 million |
| Heavy Snow | 1,488 | 7 | 2 | $78 million |
| Flood | 1,007 | 3 | 18 | $224 million |
| Winter Weather | 748 | 3 | 90 | $2.6 million |
| Winter Storm | 689 | 0 | 0 | $11 million |
| Flash Flood | 609 | 0 | 0 | $92 million |
| Lightning | 501 | 8 | 165 | $26 million |
| Coastal Flood | 274 | 0 | 3 | $45 million |
| Heavy Rain | 273 | 0 | 0 | $75,000 |
| Drought | 208 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tornado | 205 | 105 | 1,566 | $544 million |
| Tropical Storm | 95 | 0 | 3 | $35 million |
| Heat | 92 | 3 | 0 | |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 80 | 0 | 0 | |
| Blizzard | 70 | 1 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 64 | 1 | 0 | |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 43 | 0 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| Excessive Heat | 35 | 0 | 3 | |
| Ice Storm | 33 | 1 | 1 | $45 million |
| Frost/Freeze | 29 | 0 | 0 | |
| Funnel Cloud | 23 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wildfire | 10 | 0 | 1 | $75,000 |
| Waterspout | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| High Surf | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Rip Current | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes in Massachusetts, June 9, 1953
- Tornado and Hail in Massachusetts, August 28, 1973
- Tornadoes and Hail in Massachusetts, June 1, 2011An upper level closed low over southern Ontario tracked across Quebec while at the surface, a cold front over western New York crossed southern New England in the evening of June 1.
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, February 8 to 10, 2013An historic winter storm deposited tremendous amounts of snow over all of southern New England, mainly from the mid-afternoon on Friday, February 8 and lasting into the daylight hours of Saturday, February 9.
- Tornado and Hail in Massachusetts, May 29, 1995Severe thunderstorms produced large hail. There were no reports of damage received.
- Flooding in Massachusetts, May 13 to 15, 2006Heavy rainfall, most of it falling over a 100 hour period, caused widespread flooding across much of eastern Massachusetts of small streams and main stem rivers. Major flooding of a number of small streams and main stem rivers occurred in Essex County of Massachusetts.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, August 10, 1979
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, January 26 to 28, 2015An historic winter storm brought heavy snow to southern New England with blizzard conditions to much of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, beginning during the day on Monday, January 26 and lasting into the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 27.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 5, 2016Low pressure traveling along a cold front stalled south of southern New England brought heavy rain, which changed over to heavy snow as temperatures dropped. This snow was extraordinarily wet and heavy, bringing down trees and wires across portions of southern New England.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, September 6, 2014An approaching cold front provided enough lift in a rather unstable environment to produce showers and thunderstorms across southern New England. Many of these storms produced strong to damaging winds.
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, March 26, 2014A large ocean storm intensified very quickly off the east coast of the United States. This storm brought extremely strong winds (gusting to over 80 mph) and heavy snow to the Cape and Islands.
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998A severe thunderstorm moving through northern Worcester County resulted in the deaths of two men in their twenties in Winchendon.
- High Wind and Winter Weather in Massachusetts, April 3, 2016An intensifying clipper low pressure system passed north of southern New England, bringing an arctic cold front through the area. This resulted in snow across much of the region and strong, damaging winds near the coast.
- Winter Weather in Massachusetts, March 12, 1998A fast moving snow squall suddenly dropped visibility to near zero on Interstate Route 495 in Boxborough and resulted in a pile-up of 30 to 35 vehicles and the deaths of two people. A 45-year-old man and a 3-month-old infant died. Motorists were blinded by the snow.
- Heat in Massachusetts, July 5, 1999Bermuda high pressure brought a southwest flow of hot and humid air to Massachusetts during the holiday weekend. The temperature only fell to a low of 81 degrees at Logan International Airport in Boston on July 5th, which was a record minimum high temperature for the date.
- Debris Flow and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 13 to 21, 2010A stacked low pressure system (surface low and upper level low on top of each other) moved southeast of Nantucket, spreading rain across Southern New England. This resulted in widespread rainfall totals of three to six inches.
- Ice Storm and Flooding in Massachusetts, December 11 to 12, 2008A cold frontal boundary dropped south of New England on the evening of the 10th. Low pressure developed along the frontal boundary across the southeastern states late on the night of the 10th into the 11th.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 17, 2006A strong cold front swept across southern New England from late Friday morning through the afternoon hours of 17 February 2006, producing high winds across most of Massachusetts.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, January 18, 2006An intensifying low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes and into Quebec, producing strong damaging winds across Massachusetts on 18 January 2006. These strong winds were accompanied with heavy rain showers.
- Winter Weather in Massachusetts, February 8, 2017Low pressure wave developed east of Massachusetts along a warm front during the early morning of the 8th. This drew a surge of colder air across the Metropolitan Boston area during the early morning. The colder air combined with wet surface to create icy road surfaces.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Massachusetts, October 3, 1970
- Winter Storm and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, March 2 to 4, 2018Low pressure moving out of the Ohio Valley passed south of Southern New England on the 2nd and moved out to sea on the 3rd.
- High Wind in Massachusetts, October 20, 2006Damaging winds affected portions of western and central Massachusetts behind a strong cold front, as colder air surged into southern New England.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, June 22, 1997Severe thunderstorms moved southeastward through the southern portion of the Greater Boston area and parts of Plymouth and Bristol Counties, resulting in one death and three injuries.
- High Wind in Massachusetts, October 29, 2006Cold air surging into southern New England in the wake of a departing storm brought damaging winds to much of the Bay State.
The costliest
- Tornadoes in Massachusetts, June 9, 1953
- Tornadoes and Hail in Massachusetts, June 1, 2011
- Debris Flow and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 13 to 21, 2010
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Massachusetts, August 28, 2011
- Flooding in Massachusetts, March 29 to 31, 2010
- Ice Storm and Flooding in Massachusetts, December 11 to 12, 2008
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 7 to 8, 1996
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, June 28, 2020
- Tornado and Hail in Massachusetts, August 28, 1973
- Blizzard and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, February 8 to 10, 2013
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in Massachusetts, October 29 to 30, 2012
- Flooding and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Massachusetts, December 7 to 8, 1996
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, June 13 to 23, 1998
- Flooding in Massachusetts, May 13 to 15, 2006
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Massachusetts, July 10, 2010
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, May 31, 1998
- Flash Flood in Massachusetts, October 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, April 1, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 22 to 31, 2001
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 23, 2019
- Coastal Flood and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, October 29 to 30, 2011
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Massachusetts, March 30 to 31, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, October 4, 2011
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in Massachusetts, October 26 to 27, 2021
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester | 1,269 | 96 | 1,293 | $293 million |
| Middlesex | 1,140 | 2 | 72 | $70 million |
| Berkshire | 1,011 | 11 | 72 | $33 million |
| Hampden | 915 | 3 | 209 | $240 million |
| Franklin | 709 | 1 | 11 | $33 million |
| Essex | 663 | 7 | 31 | $50 million |
| Hampshire | 645 | 1 | 20 | $7.7 million |
| Norfolk | 566 | 1 | 38 | $68 million |
| Bristol | 528 | 1 | 11 | $44 million |
| Barnstable zone | 486 | 3 | 1 | $17 million |
| Plymouth | 442 | 3 | 86 | $32 million |
| Northern Berkshire zone | 407 | 0 | 3 | $919,000 |
| Eastern Norfolk zone | 398 | 1 | 1 | $7.0 million |
| Eastern Essex zone | 386 | 0 | 5 | $15 million |
| Western Middlesex zone | 375 | 4 | 7 | $13 million |
| Eastern Plymouth zone | 352 | 0 | 5 | $22 million |
| Southern Bristol zone | 352 | 2 | 4 | $8.7 million |
| Southern Worcester zone | 342 | 3 | 44 | $11 million |
| Southern Berkshire zone | 338 | 0 | 6 | $61,000 |
| Western Norfolk zone | 332 | 3 | 5 | $12 million |
| Northern Worcester zone | 314 | 0 | 5 | $26 million |
| Southeast Middlesex zone | 301 | 1 | 14 | $4.8 million |
| Suffolk zone | 284 | 5 | 16 | $35 million |
| Eastern Hampden zone | 278 | 2 | 2 | $16 million |
| Western Plymouth zone | 275 | 4 | 1 | $8.5 million |
| Nantucket zone | 273 | 1 | 1 | $1.6 million |
| Northern Bristol zone | 271 | 0 | 1 | $7.8 million |
| Barnstable | 269 | 1 | 11 | $12 million |
| Western Essex zone | 267 | 1 | 4 | $9.6 million |
| Suffolk | 255 | 2 | 31 | $34 million |
| Southern Plymouth zone | 240 | 0 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| Eastern Franklin zone | 234 | 1 | 25 | $12 million |
| Western Hampshire zone | 225 | 0 | 2 | $6.8 million |
| Western Franklin zone | 221 | 0 | 4 | $18 million |
| Dukes zone | 219 | 0 | 0 | $12 million |
| Eastern Hampshire zone | 207 | 0 | 0 | $7.0 million |
| Western Hampden zone | 174 | 0 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| Northwest Middlesex County zone | 124 | 1 | 2 | $3.1 million |
| Suffolk / Also Part of Norfolk zone | 104 | 3 | 5 | $3.3 million |
| Eastern Plymouth / Also Part of Norfolk zone | 93 | 0 | 1 | $1.7 million |
| Berkshire zone | 56 | 0 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| Dukes | 51 | 0 | 0 | $39,000 |
| Nantucket | 25 | 0 | 0 | $21,000 |
| 19 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tuscola | 1 | 0 | 0 | $50,000 |
| Maz022 - 023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maz001 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Every year
- 2026
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
- 1984
- 1983
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
- 1979
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1969
- 1968
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
- 1962
- 1961
- 1960
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
- 1953
- 1951
More
Every tornado in MassachusettsEvery warning in Massachusetts since 1986River gauges in MassachusettsEvery 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.