New Hampshire high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 10 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 670 high wind and dust records in New Hampshire from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 21 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the November 29, 2003 high wind in Hillsborough County: 2 deaths, 2 injuries and $40,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. New Hampshire ranks 46th of 52 states and territories by count and 12th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in New Hampshire, 1996 to 2026
Wind 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
- 6701996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 21average
- Deaths
- 720 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $23Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2000102 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 high wind and dust records common in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire averages about 21 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 46th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2000 (102). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Hampshire records 748 high wind and dust records since 1996, 12th of 51 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 New Hampshire have the most high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Strafford County leads New Hampshire: 51 days with a high wind record since 1996, 138.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Rockingham County has the most wind records (111 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 the windy season in New Hampshire?
41% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in October and November. The busiest month is October (145 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 59 · Feb 69 · Mar 74 · Apr 33 · May 10 · Jun 6 · Jul 15 · Aug 2 · Sep 28 · Oct 145 · Nov 133 · Dec 96 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in New Hampshire?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2010-03-14 | Strong WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough A 42 year old man travelling on Interstate 93 in Manchester was killed when his car was struck by a 70 foot pine tree. Two passengers, the man's 36 year old wife and 2 year old daughter, were injured and were transported to the hospital. Saturated soil and strong winds combined, resulting in many downed trees across ... | 35 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $14K |
| 1999-03-07 | Strong WindMerrimack County · forecast zone Merrimack A strong wind gust reportedly blew a compact car off the roadway on Route 3-A in the town of Hill. The single car accident resulted in one fatality and one injury. A peak wind gust of 37 mph was reported in Concord near the time of the accident. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2009-10-31 | Strong WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough A 10 year old boy was killed when a birch tree was blown over by a strong gust of wind. Photos of the tree shown on local news outlets as well as reports in local newspapers indicated that the tree was at least partially rotted. The closest observations are available eight to nine miles away at either Lawrence ... | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2022-11-30 | Strong WindSullivan County · forecast zone Sullivan State police reported that a tree fell on a vehicle while traveling on State Rte. 11 in Sunapee New Hampshire. The collision caused a single fatality of the vehicle driver. | 48 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| 2000-01-21 | Strong WindGrafton County · forecast zone Southern Grafton Strong, gusty, northwest winds developed over northern New England as a storm intensified rapidly in the Gulf of Maine. Although the strong winds persisted for an extended period of time, no damages were reported. However, the winds were a factor in a fatal, single-vehicle accident near Hebron in Grafton County. ... | 1 | 0 | – |
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 high wind and dust records in New Hampshire
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-10-29 | Strong WindRockingham County · forecast zone Interior Rockingham | 45 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 2010-02-25 | High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5.4M |
| 2007-04-16 | High WindBelknap County · forecast zone Belknap | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $975K |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindBelknap County · forecast zone Belknap One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 50 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $891K |
| 2006-02-17 | High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Hillsborough | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $439K |
| 2003-11-29 | High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Hillsborough | 55 kt wind | 2 | 2 | $40K |
| 2022-11-30 | Strong WindSullivan County · forecast zone Sullivan | 48 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| 2010-03-14 | Strong WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough | 35 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $14K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire'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 | New Hampshire | United States | New Hampshire's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 225 | 14,026 | 1.6% |
| 2000s | 339 | 37,254 | 0.9% |
| 2010s | 94 | 41,748 | 0.2% |
| 2020-26 | 12 | 36,300 | 0.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in New Hampshire
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-30 | Strong WindSullivan County · forecast zone Sullivan | 48 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| 2021-03-02 | Strong WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough | 47 kt wind | 0 | 2 | – |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindMerrimack County · forecast zone Merrimack | 50 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $136K |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindRockingham County · forecast zone Coastal Rockingham | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $257K |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindBelknap County · forecast zone Belknap | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $497K |
| 2010-03-14 | Strong WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough | 35 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $14K |
| 2010-02-25 | High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Western And Central Hillsborough | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 2010-02-25 | High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.4M |
| 2009-10-31 | Strong WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Eastern Hillsborough | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2007-04-16 | High WindBelknap County · forecast zone Belknap | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $975K |
| 2006-10-29 | Strong WindRockingham County · forecast zone Interior Rockingham | 45 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 2006-02-17 | High WindHillsborough County · forecast zone Hillsborough | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $439K |
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.
Next
- Strafford County: the county's whole recordThe New Hampshire county with the most high wind and dust records per square mile
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