Bennington County, Vermont
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 50003 · population 37,345 · 674 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 795 records for Bennington County, Vermont from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 607 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (253 records). 484 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the January 8, 2021 cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Bennington, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 21 declarations naming the county since 1973, 19 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Tropical Depression Debby” on August 8, 2024.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 795on 607 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 14 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $9.9Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 6strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 21latest 2024
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Bennington County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 253 since 1996. 47% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The rank column places the county among Vermont's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 253 | 249 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | 9 of 13 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 188 | 115 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 0 | $702K | 2 of 13 |
| High wind and dust storms | 104 | 98 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $778K | 3 of 13 |
| Floods | 78 | 45 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | $3.5M | 9 of 13 |
| Extreme cold | 72 | 71 | 2000-2026 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 of 13 |
| Hail | 55 | 43 | 1960-2024 | 0 | 0 | $39K | 4 of 13 |
| Heat | 23 | 23 | 1998-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 13 |
| Drought | 6 | 6 | 1999-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 13 |
| Tornadoes | 6 | 6 | 1955-2003 | 0 | 1 | $1.9M | 3 of 13 |
| Lightning | 5 | 4 | 2000-2021 | 0 | 2 | $1.3M | 9 of 13 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2018-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 13 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 13 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | 2019-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 13 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 13 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2002-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Bennington County had?
NOAA records 6 tornadoes in Bennington County from 1955 to 2003, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 1 injury recorded in the county. That is 3rd of 13 Vermont counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 6 tornadoes whose track touched Bennington County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 6, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-31 14:22, as SPC files it | Stillwater to Hoosick FallsCrossed NY, VT | F3 | 30.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Vermont.
Every tornado record filed for Bennington County (6)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-07-21 | North Pownal, Bennington County | F1 25 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $241K |
| 2002-06-05 | North Bennington, Bennington County | F1 0.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $44K |
| 1998-05-31 | North Bennington, Bennington County | F2 5.5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 1969-05-29 | Bennington County | F2 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1960-06-24 | Bennington County | F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1955-03-22 | Bennington County | F2 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Bennington County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 7, 2025 strong wind.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindPownal Center, Bennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindArlington, Bennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Bennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindBennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Strong WindBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 44 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter WeatherBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter WeatherBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-08 | Cold/Wind ChillBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-31 | Cold/Wind ChillBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-29 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-08 | Cold/Wind ChillBennington County · forecast zone Bennington A 35-year old man died from hypothermia within minutes after crashing his truck on Route 279 in Bennington and fleeing into the woods at around 6:30 pm on January 8th, according to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner. Temperatures were in the low 20s at the time of the accident, falling into the mid-teens overnight. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2007-07-27 | LightningBennington County Lightning struck the Green Mountain Christian Center on Harwood Hill Road in Bennington at around 20:55 EST, causing severe damage. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion while trying to extinguish the blaze, and was sent to the hospital for examination. He was given fluids and then released. The estimated damages ... | 0 | 1 | $1.1M | |
| 2006-02-17 | High WindBennington County · forecast zone Bennington Trees and power lines were blown down in Sunderland. | 60 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| 2000-07-16 | LightningBennington County A stalled frontal boundary across extreme southern Vermont interacted with a strong upper level disturbance from July 15 into early July 16. The result was a slow-moving low pressure area which formed over Virginia. This low pumped a deep layer of tropical air into the region and produced the second widespread heavy ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 1969-05-29 | TornadoBennington County | F2 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-03-31 | Winter StormBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 1998-05-31 | TornadoNorth Bennington, Bennington County | F2 5.5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 2007-07-27 | LightningBennington County | 0 | 1 | $1.1M | |
| 1999-09-16 | Flash FloodCountywide, Bennington County | 0 | 0 | $843K | |
| 1996-01-19 | FloodBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | $564K | |
| 1999-09-16 | High WindBennington County · forecast zone Bennington | 0 | 0 | $266K | |
| 2003-07-21 | TornadoNorth Pownal, Bennington County | F1 25 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $241K |
| 2002-06-05 | TornadoNorth Bennington, Bennington County | F1 0.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $44K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 29, 1969 (tornado, Bennington County); March 22, 1955 (tornado, Bennington County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Bennington County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 24 | 76 | 83 | 70 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 38 | 26 | 47 | 52 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 12 | 18 | 33 | 41 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 15 | 24 | 22 | 17 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 18 | 34 | 20 |
| Hail | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 12 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
47% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 123 · Feb 88 · Mar 60 · Apr 43 · May 74 · Jun 69 · Jul 100 · Aug 60 · Sep 22 · Oct 29 · Nov 35 · Dec 92 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Bennington County
FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include Bennington County: 15 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (7) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-08 | EM-3609 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Depression Debby |
| 2023-07-14 | DR-4720 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-07-10 | EM-3595 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2021-09-29 | DR-4621 | Flood | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2021-08-22 | EM-3567 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Henri |
| 2020-04-08 | DR-4532 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3437 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-06-14 | DR-4445 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2017-08-16 | DR-4330 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2011-09-01 | DR-4022 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Irene |
| 2011-08-29 | EM-3338 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2009-01-14 | DR-1816 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2007-05-04 | DR-1698 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2003-09-12 | DR-1488 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2001-04-10 | EM-3167 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2001-01-18 | DR-1358 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-07-27 | DR-1336 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1999-11-10 | DR-1307 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Floyd |
| 1996-02-13 | DR-1101 | Flood | Ice Jams and Flooding |
| 1976-08-05 | DR-518 | Flood | Severe Storms, High Winds & Flooding |
| 1973-07-06 | DR-397 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, & Landslides |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Bennington County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 78 flood or flash flood records for Bennington County from 1996 to 2023, on 45 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bennington County ranks 1253rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Floyd | 1999-09-16 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.5 million on 112 claims filed in Bennington County; the most in one year was 54 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 3 · 1980: 3 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1984: 2 · 1987: 3 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 2 · 1998: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2004: 2 · 2005: 3 · 2011: 54 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2019: 10 · 2021: 7 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Bennington County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bennington County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $18.8 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.0M | 4.1 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $17K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $781K | once in about 16 years (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | $4K | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $12M | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $283K | 24 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $95K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $59K | 24 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Bennington County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in VermontEvery Vermont tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in VermontThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Vermont recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Bennington CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Bennington County's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis