Chittenden County, Vermont
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 50007 · population 168,162 · 537 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,229 records for Chittenden County, Vermont from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 655 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (463 records). 699 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 July 1, 2018 heat, filed for the forecast zone Western Chittenden, which covers the county: 3 deaths. FEMA has issued 32 declarations naming the county since 1973, 30 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides” on August 20, 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
- 1,229on 655 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 138 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $78Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 5strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 32latest 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 Chittenden County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 463 since 1996. 48% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. 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 | 463 | 293 | 1996-2026 | 6 | 3 | $14M | 2 of 13 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 297 | 130 | 1960-2025 | 2 | 3 | $5.8M | 1 of 13 |
| High wind and dust storms | 140 | 96 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 1 | $8.1M | 1 of 13 |
| Hail | 136 | 59 | 1957-2025 | 0 | 0 | $389K | 1 of 13 |
| Floods | 83 | 63 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $37M | 1 of 13 |
| Extreme cold | 58 | 32 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2.1M | 4 of 13 |
| Lightning | 21 | 19 | 1996-2020 | 0 | 1 | $2.3M | 1 of 13 |
| Heat | 16 | 12 | 1996-2025 | 3 | 0 | $964K | 3 of 13 |
| Heavy rain | 9 | 8 | 1999-2012 | 0 | 0 | $140K | 1 of 13 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 5 | 1953-1987 | 0 | 0 | $7.5M | 2 of 13 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 1996-1996 | 0 | 0 | $9K | 5 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 Chittenden County had?
NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Chittenden County from 1953 to 1987, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 2nd 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 Chittenden County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Vermont.
Every tornado record filed for Chittenden County (5)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-05-31 | Chittenden County | F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1986-08-07 | Chittenden County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1983-08-08 | Chittenden County | F2 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1973-06-22 | Chittenden County | F1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1953-06-21 | Chittenden County | F1 1.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Chittenden County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 17, 2026 strong wind ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-17 | Strong WindChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-03-17 | Strong WindChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-10 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-10 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-29 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-29 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-07-01 | HeatChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden High temperatures in the upper 80s to upper 90s with dewpoints in the 60s and 70s created dangerous heat indices in the 95 to 110 degree range between June 30th and July 5th. Three fatalities were reported in official state health department records. A 79-year-old female in Essex Junction, 57-year-old female in ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-07-30 | Thunderstorm WindChamplain Airport, Chittenden County Numerous branches and a few trees down on several roads in Colchester Mallets Bay area, including Prim, Porters Point, Colchester Point. Eldery couple were kayaking near Thayers beach when the storm struck and both capsized and drowned. | 50 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $29K |
| 2015-01-18 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden A heavy wet snow of 2 to 4 inches fell across eastern Chittenden county, yet the main culprit was very icy roads due to rain on very cold road surfaces that led to numerous vehicle accidents. This included a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 289 in Essex that left two fatalities and one injured. | 2 | 0 | $31K | |
| 2022-02-25 | Winter StormChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden Snowfall amounts of 8 to 10 inches were common, the heaviest occurring in the latter third of the event. At the tail end of the event (early evening rush hour), a 30-car pile up near Exit 17 (Colchester/Milton) on Interstate 89 led to one fatality. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2012-12-21 | Strong WindChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden Strong wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph pushed west from the western slopes of Vermont's Green mountains into the immediate suburbs with Burlington. There were numerous tree branches, a few trees, power lines and some roof shingles damaged in communities like Essex, Essex Junction, South Burlington, Williston and Colchester. | 43 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $45K |
| 2011-04-11 | FloodNorth Underhill, Chittenden County Runoff from heavy rainfall and snowmelt caused flooding in Chittenden County. The Browns River left its banks, flooding portions of Routes 15 and 128 in Jericho and Essex. The Winooski River flooded as well, and the gage at Essex Junction VT exceeded its flood stage of 15 feet at 19:21 EST on 4/11, and crested at ... | 1 | 0 | $39K | |
| 2011-02-01 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden A weak mid-atmospheric disturbance and inverted surface trough moved across Vermont during the afternoon of February 1st. A light snowfall occurred for much of the afternoon and early evening before ending prior to a significant snowfall event on February 2nd. Snowfall amounts were generally a dusting to 3 inches ... | 1 | 0 | $7K | |
| 2003-02-22 | Winter WeatherChittenden County · forecast zone Chittenden An area of low pressure over the Tennessee Valley Saturday morning, February 22nd, moved northeast. The primary storm center of this complex low pressure system moved across central New York on Sunday, February 23rd and then into the Canadian Maritimes. Across Chittenden county, snow mixed with freezing rain Saturday ... | 1 | 0 | $24K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-01 | Lakeshore FloodChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | $6.6M | |
| 2011-08-28 | FloodHuntington, Chittenden County | 0 | 0 | $5.2M | |
| 1998-01-06 | Ice StormChittenden County · forecast zone Chittenden | 0 | 1 | $4.5M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Flash FloodSouth Hinesburg, Chittenden County | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 1998-08-11 | Flash FloodCountywide, Chittenden County | 0 | 0 | $3.6M | |
| 1998-07-01 | Flash FloodCountywide, Chittenden County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2010-12-01 | High WindChittenden County · forecast zone Eastern Chittenden | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 2023-05-18 | Frost/FreezeChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden | 0 | 0 | $1.5M |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 8, 1983 (tornado, Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 193 | 122 | 103 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 37 | 69 | 116 | 51 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 17 | 57 | 38 | 28 |
| Hail | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 36 | 74 | 7 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 17 | 18 | 40 | 8 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 4 | 28 | 7 | 19 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
48% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 172 · Feb 133 · Mar 89 · Apr 48 · May 104 · Jun 115 · Jul 223 · Aug 80 · Sep 23 · Oct 37 · Nov 57 · Dec 148 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Chittenden County
FEMA's register lists 32 declarations that include Chittenden County: 26 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (14) and flood (10).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-20 | DR-4810 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2024-08-08 | EM-3609 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Depression Debby |
| 2024-04-19 | DR-4770 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2023-07-14 | DR-4720 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2023-07-10 | EM-3595 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2023-03-20 | DR-4695 | Severe Storm | 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 |
| 2020-01-17 | DR-4474 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2018-07-30 | DR-4380 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2018-01-02 | DR-4356 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2015-07-29 | DR-4232 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2015-02-03 | DR-4207 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2014-01-29 | DR-4163 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2013-08-02 | DR-4140 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2013-06-13 | DR-4120 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2011-09-01 | DR-4022 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Irene |
| 2011-08-29 | EM-3338 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-06-15 | DR-1995 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2010-12-22 | DR-1951 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm |
| 2004-09-23 | DR-1559 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2001-04-10 | EM-3167 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 1998-06-30 | DR-1228 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1998-01-15 | DR-1201 | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storms, Rain, High Winds and Flooding |
| 1996-02-13 | DR-1101 | Flood | Ice Jams and Flooding |
| 1995-08-16 | DR-1063 | Severe Storm | Excessive Rainfall, Flooding |
| 1993-05-12 | DR-990 | Flood | Heavy Rain, Snowmelt & Flooding |
| 1992-03-18 | DR-938 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Ice Jams & Flooding |
| 1990-07-25 | DR-875 | Flood | Severe Storms & 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 Chittenden County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 83 flood or flash flood records for Chittenden County from 1996 to 2025, on 63 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Chittenden County ranks 821st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene | 2011-08-28 | 2 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.0 million on 256 claims filed in Chittenden County; the most in one year was 80 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 4 · 1979: 10 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 8 · 1982: 7 · 1983: 6 · 1984: 3 · 1987: 1 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 1 · 1992: 5 · 1993: 11 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 3 · 1996: 4 · 1998: 7 · 1999: 2 · 2003: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 3 · 2008: 2 · 2011: 80 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 16 · 2014: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 6 · 2020: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 43 · 2024: 14 · 2026: 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 Chittenden County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chittenden County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $40.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.4M | 23 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $465K | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Moderate | $457K | once in about 30 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $601K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $29M | 2.1 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $2.1M | once in about 360 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $18K | about once 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 Chittenden 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 Chittenden CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Chittenden County's FEMA declarations (CSV)32 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis