Massachusetts hurricanes and tropical storms
Every recorded hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996 · 14 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 138 hurricane and tropical storm records in Massachusetts from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 9.2 a year since 2000. The costliest was the August 28, 2011 tropical storm ($42.3 million in 2025 dollars). Massachusetts ranks 14th of 34 states and territories by count and 10th of 33 per square mile.
Hurricanes and tropical storms in Massachusetts, 1996 to 2026
Tropical records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- 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
- Records
- 1381996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 9.2average
- Deaths
- 03 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $46Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 201128 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records common in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts averages about 9.2 hurricane and tropical storm records a year since 2000, 14th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2011 (28). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Massachusetts records 177 hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996, 10th of 33 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, 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.
Which counties in Massachusetts have the most hurricane and tropical storm records?
Per square mile, Dukes County leads Massachusetts: 6 days with a hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996, 58.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Barnstable County has the most tropical records (26 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is hurricane season in Massachusetts?
70% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996 fell in August and September. The busiest month is August (58 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 12 · Feb 4 · Mar 0 · Apr 1 · May 10 · Jun 0 · Jul 5 · Aug 58 · Sep 38 · Oct 0 · Nov 5 · Dec 5 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
The costliest hurricane and tropical storm records in Massachusetts
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-08-28 | Hurricane Irene · Tropical StormBarnstable County · forecast zone Barnstable One storm episode: 19 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $42M | |
| 2003-01-04 | Storm Surge/TideSuffolk County · forecast zone Suffolk / Also Part Of Norfolk | 0 | 0 | $401K | |
| 2005-01-23 | Storm Surge/TidePlymouth County · forecast zone Eastern Plymouth / Also Part Of Norfolk | 0 | 0 | $302K | |
| 2020-08-04 | Tropical StormBristol County · forecast zone Northern Bristol One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 2 | $16K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records becoming more frequent in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Massachusetts | United States | Massachusetts's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 0 | 1,123 | 0 |
| 2000s | 39 | 4,928 | 0.8% |
| 2010s | 56 | 2,761 | 2.0% |
| 2020-26 | 43 | 2,697 | 1.6% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hurricane and tropical storm records in Massachusetts
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-04 | Tropical StormWorcester County · forecast zone Southern Worcester | 0 | 1 | $8K | |
| 2020-08-04 | Tropical StormBristol County · forecast zone Northern Bristol | 0 | 1 | $8K | |
| 2020-08-04 | Tropical StormBerkshire County · forecast zone Southern Berkshire | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormDukes County · forecast zone Dukes | 0 | 0 | $350K | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormPlymouth County · forecast zone Western Plymouth | 0 | 0 | $2.1M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormNorfolk County · forecast zone Western Norfolk | 0 | 0 | $4.6M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormMiddlesex County · forecast zone Western Middlesex | 0 | 0 | $4.2M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormEssex County · forecast zone Western Essex | 0 | 0 | $787K | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormSuffolk County · forecast zone Suffolk | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormWorcester County · forecast zone Southern Worcester | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormPlymouth County · forecast zone Southern Plymouth | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2011-08-28 | Tropical StormBristol County · forecast zone Southern Bristol | 0 | 0 | $3.4M |
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 hurricane and tropical storm records in Massachusetts
FEMA has declared 14 disasters in Massachusetts for hurricane and tropical storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name hurricane or tropical storm or typhoon in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 8 were major disasters, the latest on September 15, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-15 | EM-3599 | Hurricane Lee | 14 |
| 2021-08-22 | EM-3566 | Tropical Storm Henri | 1 |
| 2012-12-19 | DR-4097 | Hurricane Sandy | 6 |
| 2012-10-28 | EM-3350 | Hurricane Sandy | 14 |
| 2011-09-03 | DR-4028 | Tropical Storm Irene | 9 |
| 2011-08-26 | EM-3330 | Hurricane Irene | 14 |
| 2010-09-02 | EM-3315 | Hurricane Earl | 10 |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3252 | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | 14 |
| 1992-12-21 | DR-975 | Winter Coastal Storm | 9 |
| 1991-11-04 | DR-920 | Coastal Storm | 7 |
| 1991-08-26 | DR-914 | Hurricane Bob | 11 |
| 1985-10-28 | DR-751 | Hurricane Gloria | 13 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Dukes County: the county's whole recordThe Massachusetts county with the most hurricane and tropical storm records per square mile
- Hurricanes and tropical storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MassachusettsTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Massachusetts4,575 records
- High wind and dust storms in Massachusetts3,726 records
- Winter storms in Massachusetts3,028 records