Coos County, New Hampshire
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 33007 · population 31,248 · 1,795 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 976 records for Coos County, New Hampshire from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 509 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (394 records). 612 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 August 3, 2015 thunderstorm wind: 2 deaths and 32 injuries. FEMA has issued 28 declarations naming the county since 1973, 26 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storm and Flooding” 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
- 976on 509 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 942 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $23Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 8strongest EF0
- FEMA declarations
- 28latest 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 Coos County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 394 since 1996. 47% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The rank column places the county among New Hampshire'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 | 394 | 225 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $1.3M | 9 of 10 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 175 | 96 | 1955-2026 | 2 | 36 | $1.1M | 10 of 10 |
| Floods | 134 | 70 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 1 | $18M | 10 of 10 |
| High wind and dust storms | 86 | 47 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $178K | 10 of 10 |
| Hail | 62 | 39 | 1978-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2K | 10 of 10 |
| Extreme cold | 52 | 27 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 0 | – | 7 of 10 |
| Drought | 43 | 24 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | 8 of 10 |
| Tornadoes | 8 | 8 | 1956-2016 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 10 of 10 |
| Lightning | 6 | 5 | 1998-2016 | 0 | 4 | $274K | 10 of 10 |
| Heat | 4 | 2 | 1998-1998 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 of 10 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 3 | 1996-2012 | 0 | 0 | $24K | 8 of 10 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 2 | 2011-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 of 10 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 4 | 4 | 1996-2021 | 4 | 1 | – | 1 of 10 |
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 Coos County had?
NOAA records 8 tornadoes in Coos County from 1956 to 2016, the strongest rated EF0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 8 tornadoes whose track touched Coos County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 8, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in New Hampshire.
Every tornado record filed for Coos County (8)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-18 | Pittsburg, Coos County | EF0 2.02 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-07-26 | Colebrook Airport, Coos County | EF0 0.39 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-06-05 | Gorham Station, Coos County | EF0 0.1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-07-02 | Coos County | F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980-08-08 | Coos County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1974-08-27 | Coos County | F0 0.1 mi x 7 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1966-07-13 | Coos County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1956-07-09 | Coos County | 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 Coos County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 18, 2023 flash flood ($484,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Significant damage occurred on the Peabody River on December 18th following a heavy rain and rapid snowmelt event. The USGS river gage in Gorham went from under 100 cfs around midnight, to over 13,000 cfs by noon. The streamflows were estimated to be around the 1% annual exceedance or 100-year flood level. Rainfall amounts where estimated around 5 inches with an additional 3 inches of rapid snowmelt runoff. The ground conditions were frozen, supporting complete runoff. One home off Route 16 was deemed unlivable and a complete loss after floodwaters eroded the foundation. Property was also damaged at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center near the headwaters. Downstream in Gorham the damage was most prevalent along Bell Street and after the confluence with the Androscoggin River. Major damage occurred downstream to the town of Shelburne.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1151038)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindWest Milan, Coos County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-16 | HailWest Milan, Coos County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-16 | HailGroveton, Coos County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Winter StormCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindCoos Jct, Coos County Gusty winds from a severe thunderstorm toppled and snapped trees along the Connecticut River and caused a circus tent to collapse at the Lancaster Fairgrounds. About 100 people were under the tent at the time it collapsed. A 41-year-old man and his 6-year-old daughter were killed in the incident. Another 32 people ... | 65 kt wind | 2 | 32 | – |
| 1996-03-24 | AvalancheCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos Two men hiking near Mt. Washington were buried by an avalanche and suffocated. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-01-05 | AvalancheCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos A group of four hikers from Quebec got caught in an avalanche after wandering off a hiking trail on the slopes of Mt. Washington. One hiker was killed while another sustained substantial injuries. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-06-18 | Winter WeatherCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos A man who was attempting to hike in the high alpine zone of the Presidential Mountain range was unprepared for the extreme late season cold weather in June to include single digit wind chill values. The individual became cold, wet and unable to continue on the evening of June 18th. He was able to call for help, but ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-02-01 | AvalancheCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos The Mount Washington Avalanche Center reported on February 3, a backcountry skier traveling alone was caught, buried and killed in an avalanche on Feb 1st. Search and Rescue teams recovered the body on the evening of Feb 2nd. The avalanche buried the skier more than 12 feet deep in a terrain trap. The incident ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-02-25 | Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos High winds and heavy rain accompanied a major storm system that moved through New Hampshire late in the day on the 24th and in the early morning hours of the 25th. A 54-year-old professional trail guide who was hiking in the mountains near Mt. Washington died of hypothermia during the storm. His frozen body was ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-02-27 | Cold/Wind ChillCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos A winter hiker climbing a peak near Mt. Washington likely became disoriented, then died as a result of hypothermia. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-07-05 | Thunderstorm WindErrol, Coos County A line of fast-moving, early-morning thunderstorms knocked over numerous trees and knocked out power in large areas of Coos County. A gust of 90 mph was reported in the Colebrook area. Fallen trees closed Route 16 between Milan and Errol, and Route 3 between Stewartstown and Pittsburg. More than 5000 customers in the ... | 0 | 3 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-08-28 | Flash FloodGorham Libby Field Arp, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $8.5M | |
| 2014-04-15 | FloodTinkerville, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $2.4M | |
| 1998-01-07 | Ice StormCoos County · forecast zone Northern Coos | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 1993-08-31 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 2007-04-16 | FloodBerlin, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $996K | |
| 2011-05-26 | Flash FloodDalton, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $939K | |
| 1998-04-01 | Flash FloodCountywide, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $543K | |
| 2017-10-30 | Flash FloodGorham, Coos County | 0 | 0 | $525K |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 8, 1980 (tornado, Coos 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 Coos 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 | – | – | – | – | 63 | 182 | 96 | 53 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 22 | 30 | 67 | 25 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 13 | 24 | 62 | 35 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 30 | 46 | 6 | 4 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 27 | 20 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 17 | 30 | 1 | 4 |
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 149 · Feb 111 · Mar 87 · Apr 80 · May 65 · Jun 72 · Jul 105 · Aug 69 · Sep 34 · Oct 50 · Nov 51 · Dec 103 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Coos County
FEMA's register lists 28 declarations that include Coos County: 17 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and flood (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-20 | DR-4812 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2024-02-27 | DR-4761 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2023-09-14 | DR-4740 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2023-03-15 | DR-4693 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2020-04-03 | DR-4516 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3445 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-01-02 | DR-4355 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm and Flooding |
| 2017-08-09 | DR-4329 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2012-11-28 | DR-4095 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-10-30 | EM-3360 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2011-11-01 | EM-3344 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm |
| 2011-09-03 | DR-4026 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Irene |
| 2011-08-27 | EM-3333 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-07-22 | DR-4006 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2009-01-02 | DR-1812 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2008-12-13 | EM-3297 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2008-09-05 | DR-1787 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2007-04-27 | DR-1695 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-19 | EM-3258 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-03-30 | EM-3208 | Snowstorm | Record Snow |
| 2004-01-15 | EM-3193 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2001-03-28 | EM-3166 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 1998-01-15 | DR-1199 | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storm, Rains and High Winds |
| 1996-01-03 | DR-1077 | Flood | Excessive Rainfall, High Winds, and Flooding |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3101 | Snowstorm | Blizzards, High Winds & Record Snowfall |
| 1990-08-29 | DR-876 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1979-03-15 | EM-3073 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1973-07-11 | DR-399 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
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 Coos County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 134 flood or flash flood records for Coos County from 1996 to 2024, on 70 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Coos County ranks 1329th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Irene | 2011-08-28 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $669,000 on 95 claims filed in Coos County; the most in one year was 16 in 1998. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 4 · 1981: 14 · 1982: 1 · 1984: 3 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 1 · 1989: 3 · 1990: 1 · 1995: 4 · 1996: 4 · 1998: 16 · 1999: 2 · 2000: 2 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 3 · 2005: 3 · 2011: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2015: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 7 · 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 Coos County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Coos County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $27.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very High | $4.6M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $312K | 24 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.0M | 6.8 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $15M | 2.4 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $180K | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $16K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $1.1M | once in about 18 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $219K | 19 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 Coos 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 New HampshireEvery New Hampshire tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in New HampshireThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The New Hampshire recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Coos CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Coos County's FEMA declarations (CSV)28 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis