Massachusetts severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 14 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,575 severe thunderstorm wind events in Massachusetts from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 142 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the May 31, 1998 thunderstorm wind in Worcester County: 2 deaths, 1 injury and $45,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. Massachusetts ranks 33rd of 52 states and territories by count and 3rd of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Massachusetts, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 4,5751955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 142average
- Deaths
- 13134 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $81Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2016337 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts averages about 142 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 33rd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2016 (337). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Massachusetts records 5865 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 3rd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Hampden County leads Massachusetts: 231 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 374.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Worcester County has the most thunderstorm wind records (671 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Massachusetts?
54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (1,527 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 5 · Feb 110 · Mar 63 · Apr 59 · May 490 · Jun 953 · Jul 1,527 · Aug 846 · Sep 322 · Oct 136 · Nov 49 · Dec 15 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Massachusetts?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindWinchendon, Worcester County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A severe thunderstorm moving through northern Worcester County resulted in the deaths of two men in their twenties in Winchendon. They were killed when thunderstorm winds gusting to an estimated 60 to 70 mph blew a tree down on a car travelling on Route 202, as reported by local police. Large tree limbs were blown ... | 2 | 1 | $45K | |
| 1989-06-02 | Thunderstorm WindWorcester County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 10 | – | |
| 1999-07-06 | Thunderstorm WindPlainfield, Hampshire County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe thunderstorms swept across Massachusetts in advance of a strong cold front. For the fourth day in a row, temperatures soared well up into the 90s across the Bay State, along with high humidity. The thunderstorms arrived in two lines: one from mid-afternoon into early evening with winds clocked as high as 82 ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 1995-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindOtis, Berkshire County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1989-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindEssex County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (7, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2011-07-26 | Thunderstorm WindHinsdale, Berkshire County A tree was reported down on wires across Route 8 in Hinsdale. An 85-year man was killed after his motorcycle crashed into the fallen tree which was entangled with live electric wires. Multiple trees and wires were reported down on Middlefield Road in Peru. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1997-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindHull, Plymouth County Peddocks Island | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindWestwood Hills, Worcester County A woman out in her yard during a thunderstorm died after a large tree limb broke due to the wind and fell on her. Medical officials indicate that she died of blunt force trauma to the head, neck, and chest. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2022-07-12 | Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge, Berkshire County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms ahead of an approaching cold front resulted in multiple wind damage reports across western Massachusetts during the afternoon and evening hours on Tuesday July 12, 2022. A NWS Storm Survey concluded an area of straight line wind damage with estimated wind speeds of 85 mph ... | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2020-10-07 | Thunderstorm WindGreat Barrington Arp, Berkshire County A tree fell on a man on a golf cart at the Wyantenuck Country Club golf course resulting in a fatality. Time was estimated by radar. | 45 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $1K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Massachusetts
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindWorcester County One storm episode: 6 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $18M | |
| 1994-08-13 | Thunderstorm WindBeverly, Essex County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 1996-05-21 | Thunderstorm WindBrockton, Plymouth County | 0 | 60 | $7.5M | |
| 2019-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindWest Dennis, Barnstable County One storm episode: 4 records; the totals are the episode's. | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.2M |
| 2008-07-19 | Thunderstorm WindEast Whately, Franklin County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.4M |
| 2011-07-26 | Thunderstorm WindWilbraham, Hampden County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 85 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $2.1M |
| 2006-07-11 | Thunderstorm WindPeabody, Essex County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 1994-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindWorcester County | 0 | 0 | $995K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 36 | 3,482 | 1.0% |
| 1960s | 71 | 10,124 | 0.7% |
| 1970s | 101 | 18,714 | 0.5% |
| 1980s | 198 | 39,604 | 0.5% |
| 1990s | 424 | 85,554 | 0.5% |
| 2000s | 944 | 129,990 | 0.7% |
| 2010s | 1,578 | 161,286 | 1.0% |
| 2020-26 | 1,223 | 126,815 | 1.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Massachusetts
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindDrury, Berkshire County | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLanesborough, Berkshire County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindSouthwick, Hampden County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $300 |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindMontgomery, Hampden County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $300 |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindBelchertown, Hampshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindCushman, Hampshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $300 |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindCushman, Hampshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindSheffield, Berkshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindPittsfield, Berkshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindPittsfield, Berkshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindPittsfield, Berkshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindCheshire, Berkshire County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Massachusetts
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 12 declarations in Massachusetts, 9 of them major disasters; the latest on June 25, 2018.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-25 | DR-4372 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 6 |
| 2015-04-13 | DR-4214 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 10 |
| 2013-04-19 | DR-4110 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 14 |
| 2012-01-06 | DR-4051 | Severe Storm and Snowstorm | 6 |
| 2011-11-01 | EM-3343 | Severe Storm | 8 |
| 2010-03-29 | DR-1895 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 7 |
| 2008-12-13 | EM-3296 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 2007-05-16 | DR-1701 | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding | 8 |
| 2006-05-25 | DR-1642 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 3 |
| 2005-11-10 | DR-1614 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 11 |
| 2005-10-19 | EM-3264 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2001-04-10 | DR-1364 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 7 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Hampden County: the county's whole recordThe Massachusetts county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MassachusettsTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Winter storms in Massachusetts3,028 records
- Floods in Massachusetts1,890 records