Connecticut tornadoes
Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 8 counties with a record
Connecticut has recorded 127 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 3.2 a year since 2000, with 6 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the October 3, 1979 Windsor Locks tornado (3 deaths in Connecticut). Connecticut ranks 43rd of 52 states and territories by count and 25th of 51 per square mile.
Tornadoes in Connecticut, 1950 to 2025
Tornadoes per year (SPC; a tornado that crossed a state line counts in each state it touched).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: tornado reports rose with NEXRAD Doppler radar, mid-1990s (SPC)
- Tornadoes
- 1271950 to 2025
- A year since 2000
- 3.2average
- Deaths
- 4703 injuries
- F3/EF3 or stronger
- 65% of tornadoes
- Busiest year
- 20189 tornadoes
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.
Are tornadoes common in Connecticut?
Connecticut averages about 3.2 tornadoes a year since 2000, 43rd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2018 (9). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Connecticut records 262 tornadoes since 1950, 25th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA SPC, tornadoes 1950-2025, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
When is tornado season in Connecticut?
54% of its tornadoes since 1950 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (36 tornadoes).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 2 · May 15 · Jun 23 · Jul 36 · Aug 32 · Sep 8 · Oct 7 · Nov 4 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments by the month they began, 1950-2025.
What were the deadliest tornadoes in Connecticut?
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-10-03 | Windsor Locks · Hartford | F4 | 11.3 mi | 3 | 500 |
| 1962-05-24 | Waterbury · New Haven, Hartford | F3 | 11.6 mi | 1 | 50 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside Connecticut), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.
Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in Connecticut?
- F2/EF2
- F3/EF3
- F4/EF4
- F5/EF5
- no end point filed
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, start and end points of each track; county lines: Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (2017), via us-atlas. SPC severe weather database. Census cartographic boundary files.
The strongest tornadoes in Connecticut
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-10-03 | Windsor Locks · Hartford | F4 | 11.3 mi | 1,400 yd | 3 |
| 1989-07-10 | New Haven · New Haven | F4 | 3 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1962-05-24 | Waterbury · New Haven, Hartford | F3 | 11.6 mi | 120 yd | 1 |
| 1954-05-10 | Tolland | F3 | 0.3 mi | 33 yd | 0 |
| 1951-08-21 | Middlesex | F3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1971-07-29 | Waterbury · New Haven | F3 | 0.1 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 1951-08-21 | Bristol to Hartford · Litchfield, Hartford | F2 | 43.9 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1950-07-12 | Middletown · Middlesex | F2 | 10 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1989-07-10 | Bantam · Litchfield | F2 | 10 mi | 73 yd | 0 |
| 1965-08-19 | Crystal Lake · Tolland | F2 | 6.6 mi | 120 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.
The longest tornado paths in Connecticut
| Date | Tornado and counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-08-21 | Bristol to Hartford · Litchfield, Hartford | F2 | 43.9 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1963-07-19 | Middlesex | F1 | 12.3 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1962-05-24 | Waterbury · New Haven, Hartford | F3 | 11.6 mi | 120 yd | 1 |
| 1979-10-03 | Windsor Locks · Hartford | F4 | 11.3 mi | 1,400 yd | 3 |
| 2020-08-27 | New Haven | EF1 | 11.1 mi | 500 yd | 0 |
| 2013-07-10 | Tolland | EF1 | 10.87 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1950-07-12 | Middletown · Middlesex | F2 | 10 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1985-06-24 | Windham | F1 | 10 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1989-07-10 | Bantam · Litchfield | F2 | 10 mi | 73 yd | 0 |
| 2001-07-01 | Litchfield | F0 | 10 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments: path length and width inside the state. SPC severe weather database.
Tornadoes in every Connecticut county
All 8 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
| County | Tornadoes | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Litchfield County | 38 | F/EF2 |
| New Haven County | 20 | F/EF4 |
| Hartford County | 19 | F/EF4 |
| Fairfield County | 17 | F/EF2 |
| Tolland County | 15 | F/EF3 |
| Windham County | 11 | F/EF2 |
| Middlesex County | 8 | F/EF3 |
| New London County | 3 | F/EF1 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database: whole tornadoes whose track touched the county (any state segment listing it). SPC severe weather database.
The costliest tornadoes in Connecticut
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-01 | TornadoPoquonock, Hartford County An EF1 tornado touched down on Hayden Station Road in Windsor and continued moving northeastward through portions of Windsor Locks and across the Connecticut River, ending in the 200 block of Main Street in East Windsor. The roof was blown off a warehouse on Hayden Station Road in Windsor. Numerous trees were downed ... | EF1 2.07 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $6.3M |
| 2010-06-24 | TornadoBridgeport, Fairfield County An NWS Storm Survey determined that an EF-1 Tornado, with maximum winds of 110 mph, impacted a small portion of Bridgeport. The survey found many signs of wind rotation in a highly localized area just north of Interstate 95. The area was bounded by the Interstate 95 northbound connector on the west and Pembroke Street ... | EF1 0.16 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 3 | $4.3M |
| 1996-07-03 | TornadoWaterbury, New Haven County A team of National Weather Service Meteorologists confirmed that an F1 tornado occurred.A small area of strong thunderstorms moved through the area and the first serious damage occurred north and west of Montoe Park, just to the north of downtown Waterbury. Indications of a weak F0 tornado were displayed in this area ... | F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3.8M |
| 2006-07-12 | TornadoNorth Greenwich, Fairfield County A tornado moved east to northeast into the Kensico Reservoir Region of extreme eastern Westchester County; across Routes 22 and 120 in the North Castle area.As the tornado entered extreme southwest Fairfield County at 4:01 pm EDT, F1 damage was observed in North Greenwich along Cutler and Bedford Roads, where ... | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2009-06-26 | TornadoWethersfield, Hartford County A narrow tornado moved through Wethersfield. The NWS storm survey team found damage beginning near the intersection of Nott Street and Park Avenue and continuing southeast into a cornfield along Elm Street, between Maple Street and Interstate 91. Along this track, numerous trees were downed. One of these trees fell ... | EF1 1.7 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2010-07-21 | TornadoBristol, Hartford County A brief tornado touchdown occurred on the east side of Rockwell Park and had an intermittent damage path, mostly at the tree top level, to the end of High Street. Straight line winds appeared to be the main cause of damage in Bristol, however, damage from a small, brief tornado was also evident. Trees felled in ... | EF1 1.73 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $765K |
| 2020-08-27 | TornadoBethany, New Haven County EF1 Tornado staring in Bethany, CT and ending in North Haven, CT. Maximum path width of 500 yards and a path length of 11.1 miles. Based on a National Weather Service damage survey done in conjunction with CT Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and local CT town emergency managements, it has been ... | EF1 11.1 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $570K |
| 2001-06-23 | TornadoTorrington, Litchfield County A warm front, moving into Connecticut, produced a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms during the early afternoon of June 23. One cell developed into a supercell which then spawned two tornados in Litchfield County. The first tornado touched down in the northern end of the town of Washington, on a golf course ... | F2 0.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $417K |
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 $250M, in the dollars of the day) holds: October 3, 1979 (tornado, Hartford County, 3 killed); July 10, 1989 (tornado, New Haven County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in Connecticut?
Connecticut's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. The Storm Prediction Center notes that tornado reports rose especially around the installation of the NEXRAD Doppler radar network in the mid-1990s, so a rising count is partly better detection; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Connecticut | United States | Connecticut's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 17 | 4,837 | 0.35% |
| 1960s | 9 | 6,863 | 0.13% |
| 1970s | 20 | 8,633 | 0.23% |
| 1980s | 8 | 8,250 | 0.10% |
| 1990s | 15 | 12,205 | 0.12% |
| 2000s | 15 | 12,892 | 0.12% |
| 2010s | 23 | 12,232 | 0.19% |
| 2020-25 | 20 | 8,234 | 0.24% |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.
The most recent tornadoes in Connecticut
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-21 | TornadoHarwinton, Litchfield County | EF0 2 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2023-09-13 | TornadoSouth Killingly, Windham County | EF0 1.61 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2023-08-18 | TornadoScotland, Windham County | EF1 2.7 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $29K |
| 2023-08-12 | TornadoRoxbury Falls, Litchfield County | EF0 0.75 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-07-28 | TornadoSouth Norfolk, Litchfield County | EF0 5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-11-13 | TornadoPawcatuck, New London County | EF1 0.26 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $15K |
| 2021-11-13 | TornadoWest Cheshire, New Haven County | EF0 3.57 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $163K |
| 2021-11-13 | TornadoDamascus, New Haven County | EF0 1.94 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $109K |
| 2021-11-13 | TornadoAlmyville, Windham County | EF0 4.74 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 2021-09-09 | TornadoSouth Coventry, Tolland County | EF0 0.75 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $44K |
| 2021-08-19 | TornadoNorth Grosvenor Dale, Windham County | EF0 2.75 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 2021-07-18 | TornadoSomers, Tolland County | EF0 1.9 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $49K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for tornadoes in Connecticut
FEMA has declared 3 disasters in Connecticut for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 3 were major disasters, the latest on August 20, 2018.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-20 | DR-4385 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 2 |
| 1989-07-17 | DR-837 | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 2 |
| 1979-10-04 | DR-608 | Tornado & Severe Storms | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.