PlainHazard

New Hampshire natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 1,377,074 · 10 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 8,666 storm events in New Hampshire since 1950, 8,168 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 101 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are winter storm records (2,612). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest storm in New Hampshire is the August 18, 1991 thunderstorm wind in Rockingham County: 3 deaths and 11 injuries. FEMA has made 63 declarations for New Hampshire since 1953, 61 for natural hazards; 48 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in New Hampshire 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 $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
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm events recorded
8,6661950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
45281 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$509Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC)
1011950 to 2025
FEMA declarations
6348 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in New Hampshire?

By NOAA's records, New Hampshire's most frequent hazards are winter storm records (2,612), severe thunderstorm wind events (2,368), floods and flash floods (1,048); the deadliest are severe thunderstorm wind events (11 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

New Hampshire: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsLast 10 yearsKilledInjuredDamageCounties
Winter storms 2,612620 721$109M 10 of 10
Severe thunderstorm wind 2,368792 1182$26M 10 of 10
Floods 1,048431 76$264M 10 of 10
Hail 960261 00$45K 10 of 10
High wind and dust storms 67029 720$23M 10 of 10
Extreme cold 28532 20– 10 of 10
Drought 273165 00$21M 10 of 10
Lightning 2084 0118$17M 10 of 10
Tornadoes 11212 130$48M 10 of 10
Hurricanes and tropical storms 3814 22$1.1M 10 of 10
Heat 347 00– 9 of 10
Heavy rain 310 00$57K 10 of 10
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 152 00– 4 of 10
Landslides and avalanches 61 51– 2 of 10
Rip currents and high surf 54 31$27K 2 of 10
Wildfires 11 00– 1 of 10

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in New Hampshire?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

New Hampshire: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1991-08-18 Thunderstorm WindRockingham County 3 11 –
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 –
2003-11-29 High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Hillsborough High winds brought down trees and power lines in Hillsborough County. A couple was killed in their vehicle when a 4-foot diameter tree blew down and crashed onto their van. About half an hour later, two people were injured when another tree blew down on their car. 55 kt wind 2 2 $40K
1996-03-24 AvalancheCoos County · forecast zone Southern Coos Two men hiking near Mt. Washington were buried by an avalanche and suffocated. 2 0 –
2018-08-19 Rip CurrentRockingham County · forecast zone Coastal Rockingham A man and woman from Massachusetts died and 6 others had to be rescued when a strong rip current developed along the beach in Seabrook, New Hampshire. Both victims were administered CPR at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital. The 49-year-old man was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. His ... 2 0 –
2005-10-09 Flash FloodAlstead, Cheshire County A slow-moving cold front interacted with the remnants of Tammy, producing significant rainfall and flooding across southern New Hampshire. Storm total rainfall ranged from between 9 and 11 inches across southwest New Hampshire; and the worst flooding occurred in the Ashuelot River basin, where the community of Alstead ... 2 0 $15M
2005-10-08 FloodSullivan County · forecast zone Sullivan One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. The interaction between a cold frontal boundary and the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy resulted in tremendous amount of rainfall throughout most of central and southern New Hampshire. Rainfall ranged from just under 2 inches in far northern New Hampshire to 9 inches at Gilford in Belknap County. An unofficial report ... 2 0 $8.2M
2007-12-27 Winter WeatherCheshire County · forecast zone Cheshire A wintry mix of precipitation resulting in slick roads was a contributing factor in a traffic accident resulting in one fatality and three injuries (all indirect) in Cheshire County. 1 3 $43K
2008-07-24 Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Rockingham County, killed 1 (SPC) · TornadoLeavitts Hill, Rockingham County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. On July 24th a closed 500 mb low was digging over NY/PA and waves of surface low pressure were riding north along the associated surface front to the west of the forecast area. A strong 50kt low level jet was also riding northward ahead of the front. This resulted in extremely high helicity values across southern and ... EF2 4.86 mi x 880 yd 1 2 $2.8M
2011-08-28 Hurricane Irene · Tropical StormBelknap County · forecast zone Belknap One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Hurricane Irene made landfall across western Long Island, NY and was downgraded to a Tropical Storm as it moved into and through New England. The center of Irene was located just to the southwest of New Hampshire at 5 pm Sunday evening August 28 and then travelled up the Connecticut River Valley to the northern border ... 1 2 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in New Hampshire

New Hampshire: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-01-13 Coastal FloodRockingham County · forecast zone Coastal Rockingham 0 0 $28M
2008-12-11 Ice StormHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough 0 0 $21M
2008-12-11 Ice StormHillsborough County · forecast zone Western And Central Hillsborough 0 0 $16M
2005-10-09 Flash FloodAlstead, Cheshire County 2 0 $15M
2024-01-10 Coastal FloodRockingham County · forecast zone Coastal Rockingham 0 0 $14M
2008-12-11 Ice StormCheshire County · forecast zone Cheshire 0 0 $12M
2006-10-29 Strong WindRockingham County · forecast zone Interior Rockingham 45 kt wind 0 0 $12M
2020-11-01 DroughtRockingham County · forecast zone Coastal Rockingham 0 0 $10M

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: June 22, 1981 (tornado, Strafford County); August 7, 1986 (tornado, Carroll County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in New Hampshire have the most records?

  1. Grafton County 1,373
  2. Rockingham County 1,150
  3. Carroll County 1,048
  4. Coos County 976
  5. Hillsborough County 864
  6. Cheshire County 779
  7. Merrimack County 774
  8. Belknap County 584
  9. Strafford County 558
  10. Sullivan County 555

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in New Hampshire

Billion-dollar disasters in New Hampshire

NOAA counted 21 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected New Hampshire, led by winter storm (11). The most recent: East Coast Storm and Flooding (2023); Northeastern Flooding and North Central Severe Weather (2023); Northeastern Winter Storm/Cold Wave (2023).

New Hampshire: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
TypeEventsTotal cost (NOAA's range)
Winter Storm11$1.0B-$2.0B
Tropical Cyclone4$250M-$500M
Severe Storm3$100M-$250M
Flooding2$5M-$100M
Drought1$5M-$100M
Every one of the 21, newest first
  • East Coast Storm and Flooding2023
  • Northeastern Flooding and North Central Severe Weather2023
  • Northeastern Winter Storm/Cold Wave2023
  • Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
  • Central and Eastern Winter Storm2018
  • West/Northeast/Southeast Drought2016
  • Central and Eastern Winter storm, Cold Wave2015
  • Hurricane Sandy2012
  • Northeastern Winter Storm2011
  • Hurricane Irene2011
  • East/South Severe Weather and Flooding2007
  • Hurricane Floyd1999
  • Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
  • Northern Plains and Great Lakes Derecho, Tornadoes1998
  • Northeast Ice Storm1998
  • Mississippi and Ohio Valley Severe Weather and Flooding1997
  • Winter Storm, Cold Wave1994
  • East Coast Blizzard and Severe Weather1993
  • Winter Storm, Cold Wave1989
  • Hurricane Gloria1985
  • Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for New Hampshire, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in New Hampshire

FEMA has made 63 declarations for New Hampshire since 1953: 48 major disasters, 14 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. The most common incident types are severe storm (27), flood (12), snowstorm (8).

  1. Severe Storm 27
  2. Flood 12
  3. Snowstorm 8
  4. Hurricane 7
  5. Coastal Storm 3
  6. Biological 2
  7. Fire 2
  8. Winter Storm 1
  1. 1950s 1
  2. 1970s 5
  3. 1980s 2
  4. 1990s 9
  5. 2000s 16
  6. 2010s 20
  7. 2020s 10
The 15 most recent declarations in New Hampshire
DeclaredNumberTypeTitleAreas named
2024-08-20DR-4812Severe StormSevere Storm and Flooding2
2024-07-10DR-4799Winter StormSevere Winter Storm and Flooding5
2024-04-19DR-4771Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding2
2024-02-27DR-4761Severe StormSevere Storm and Flooding3
2023-09-14DR-4740FloodSevere Storms and Flooding7
2023-03-15DR-4693Severe StormSevere Storm and Flooding4
2021-10-04DR-4624FloodSevere Storm and Flooding2
2021-09-30DR-4622Severe StormSevere Storm and Flooding1
2020-04-03DR-4516BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic10
2020-03-13EM-3445BiologicalCovid-1910
2019-08-15DR-4457Severe StormSevere Storm and Flooding1
2018-06-08DR-4371SnowstormSevere Winter Storm and Snowstorm3
2018-06-08DR-4370Coastal StormSevere Storm and Flooding1
2018-01-02DR-4355Severe StormSevere Storm and Flooding6
2017-08-09DR-4329Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding2

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in New Hampshire

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $67.0 million on 4,395 claims in 10 New Hampshire counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across New Hampshire's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates New Hampshire's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

  1. Relatively Moderate 3
  2. Relatively Low 6
  3. Very Low 1

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Next