New Hampshire tornadoes
Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 10 counties with a record
New Hampshire has recorded 101 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 1.6 a year since 2000, with 4 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the July 24, 2008 tornado through Rockingham and Merrimack (1 death in New Hampshire). New Hampshire ranks 44th of 52 states and territories by count and 35th of 51 per square mile.
Tornadoes in New Hampshire, 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
- 1011950 to 2025
- A year since 2000
- 1.6average
- Deaths
- 130 injuries
- F3/EF3 or stronger
- 44% of tornadoes
- Busiest year
- 19639 tornadoes
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.
Are tornadoes common in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire averages about 1.6 tornadoes a year since 2000, 44th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1963 (9). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Hampshire records 113 tornadoes since 1950, 35th 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.
Which counties in New Hampshire have the most tornadoes?
Per square mile, Belknap County leads New Hampshire: 12 days with a tornado record since 1950, 29.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Hillsborough County has the most tornado records (19 since 1950); 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 1950 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is tornado season in New Hampshire?
65% of its tornadoes since 1950 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (43 tornadoes).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 13 · Jun 19 · Jul 43 · Aug 23 · Sep 1 · Oct 2 · Nov 0 · 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 New Hampshire?
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-07-24 | Rockingham, Merrimack, Belknap, Strafford | EF2 | 50.46 mi | 1 | 2 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside New Hampshire), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.
Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in New Hampshire?
- 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 New Hampshire
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-05-20 | Antrim · Cheshire, Hillsborough | F3 | 14 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1969-08-25 | Grafton | F3 | 5.7 mi | 17 yd | 0 |
| 1953-06-09 | Rockingham | F3 | 1.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1968-08-20 | Hillsborough | F3 | 1 mi | 27 yd | 0 |
| 2008-07-24 | Rockingham, Merrimack, Belknap, Strafford | EF2 | 50.46 mi | 880 yd | 1 |
| 1963-06-09 | Manchester · Hillsborough, Rockingham | F2 | 10 mi | 77 yd | 0 |
| 1966-08-11 | Grafton | F2 | 9 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1981-06-22 | Farmington · Strafford | F2 | 8.7 mi | 40 yd | 0 |
| 1963-05-14 | Rochester · Strafford | F2 | 8.2 mi | 50 yd | 0 |
| 1999-07-06 | Pittsfield · Merrimack, Belknap, Strafford | F2 | 7.5 mi | – | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.
The longest tornado paths in New Hampshire
| Date | Tornado and counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-07-24 | Rockingham, Merrimack, Belknap, Strafford | EF2 | 50.46 mi | 880 yd | 1 |
| 2018-05-04 | Cheshire, Sullivan, Merrimack | EF1 | 37.55 mi | 300 yd | 0 |
| 1955-10-24 | Sullivan | F0 | 14.6 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1963-05-20 | Antrim · Cheshire, Hillsborough | F3 | 14 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 2023-07-27 | Cheshire | EF1 | 12.65 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 1986-06-16 | Cheshire, Hillsborough | F1 | 12 mi | 30 yd | 0 |
| 1963-05-09 | Hillsborough | F1 | 10.1 mi | 20 yd | 0 |
| 1963-06-09 | Manchester · Hillsborough, Rockingham | F2 | 10 mi | 77 yd | 0 |
| 2018-06-18 | Grafton | EF0 | 9.45 mi | 25 yd | 0 |
| 1966-08-11 | Grafton | F2 | 9 mi | 100 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 New Hampshire county
All 10 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
| County | Tornadoes | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County | 20 | F/EF3 |
| Cheshire County | 18 | F/EF3 |
| Grafton County | 13 | F/EF3 |
| Belknap County | 12 | F/EF2 |
| Rockingham County | 11 | F/EF3 |
| Carroll County | 9 | F/EF2 |
| Coos County | 8 | F/EF1 |
| Merrimack County | 7 | F/EF2 |
| Strafford County | 7 | F/EF2 |
| Sullivan County | 7 | F/EF2 |
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 New Hampshire
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-07-24 | TornadoLeavitts Hill, Rockingham County An E-F2 tornado touched down about 5 miles southwest of Northwood Narrows and moved north northeast for a little over 5 miles before crossing into Merrimack County. Numerous trees were downed and many homes were damaged or destroyed. A woman was killed when the house she was in collapsed. | EF2 4.86 mi x 880 yd | 1 | 2 | $1.2M |
| 1997-07-03 | TornadoSwanzey, Cheshire County Very severe thunderstorms moved through Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties, producing two tornadoes, microbursts, damaging thunderstorm winds, and large hail. It appears that a microburst hit Hinsdale and both a microburst and weak tornado affected the town of Swanzey, just south of Keene, in Cheshire County. A horse ... | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $919K |
| 2008-07-24 | TornadoSouth Barnstead, Belknap County An E-F2 tornado moving north northeast out of Rockingham County entered Belknap County about 2 miles southwest of South Barnstead near Province Road. The storm travaled almost 12 miles before crossing into Strafford County resulting in E-F0 to E-F2 damage. There were numerous houses and buildings that were damaged or ... | EF2 11.92 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $769K |
| 2008-07-24 | TornadoSouth Wolfeboro, Carroll County An E-F2 tornado moving out of Strafford County crossed into Carroll 2.9 miles east of South Wolfboro and continued to skip north northeast for almost 20 miles through the town of Freedom. F0 to F2 damage occurred along the path of the storm and many thousands of trees were blown down. Cars, homes and other structures ... | EF2 19.99 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $476K |
| 1997-07-03 | TornadoGreenfield, Hillsborough County Very severe thunderstorms moved through Cheshire and Hillsborough Counties, producing two tornadoes, microbursts, damaging thunderstorm winds, and large hail. It appears that a microburst hit Hinsdale and both a microburst and weak tornado affected the town of Swanzey, just south of Keene, in Cheshire County. A horse ... | F2 2 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $460K |
| 2008-07-24 | TornadoEpsom, Merrimack County An E-F2 tornado moving north northeast out of Rockingham County crossed into Merrimack County near Route 202 and continued north northeast a little over 5 miles before entering Belknap County. Homes and buildins in the tornadoes path sustained damage along the path which was up to a half mile wide. | EF2 5.25 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $210K |
| 1999-08-13 | TornadoEast Plainfield, Sullivan County A tornado touched down in the town of Plainfield (Sullivan County) near Ladieu Road, just south of Pratts Corners. From there, the tornado travelled east, uprooted hundreds of trees, blew out windows, and ripped the roof off a mobile home. The storm then crossed Route 120 and Interstate 89 before dissipating over the ... | F1 7 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $177K |
| 2008-07-24 | TornadoNew Durham, Strafford County An E-F1 tornado, moving north northeast out of Belknap County, entered Strafford County approximately 2.2 miles north northwest of New Durham. The storm skipped along for more than 8 miles before exiting into Carroll County. The intensity of the tornado varied between F0 and F2, and numerous trees were blown down ... | EF2 8.44 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $173K |
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, in 2025 dollars.
Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire'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 | New Hampshire | United States | New Hampshire's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9 | 4,837 | 0.19% |
| 1960s | 31 | 6,863 | 0.45% |
| 1970s | 20 | 8,633 | 0.23% |
| 1980s | 9 | 8,250 | 0.11% |
| 1990s | 9 | 12,205 | 0.07% |
| 2000s | 4 | 12,892 | 0.03% |
| 2010s | 12 | 12,232 | 0.10% |
| 2020-25 | 7 | 8,234 | 0.09% |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.
The most recent tornadoes in New Hampshire
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-16 | TornadoHanover Center, Grafton County | EF1 1.8 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $75K |
| 2024-06-23 | TornadoDublin, Cheshire County | EF1 3.36 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $941 |
| 2023-07-27 | TornadoKeene, Cheshire County | EF1 12.65 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-07-18 | TornadoSpofford, Cheshire County | EF1 0.36 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2022-05-16 | TornadoNorth Charlestown, Sullivan County | EF1 4.8 mi x 330 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2020-08-22 | TornadoWest Alton, Belknap County | EF0 1.54 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-08-22 | TornadoCenter Ossipee, Carroll County | EF0 1.65 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2018-06-18 | TornadoBath, Grafton County | EF0 9.45 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-06-18 | TornadoLincoln, Grafton County | EF0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-05-04 | TornadoBox Corner, Merrimack County | EF1 16.2 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-05-04 | TornadoSouth Charlestown, Sullivan County | EF0 20.38 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-05-04 | TornadoNorth Walpole, Cheshire County | EF0 0.97 mi x 100 yd | 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 tornadoes in New Hampshire
FEMA has declared 2 disasters in New Hampshire for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 2 were major disasters, the latest on August 2, 2013.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-08-02 | DR-4139 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 3 |
| 2008-08-11 | DR-1782 | Severe Storms, Tornado, and Flooding | 5 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Belknap County: the county's whole recordThe New Hampshire county with the most tornadoes per square mile
- Tornadoes across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New HampshireTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Severe thunderstorm wind in New Hampshire2,368 records
- Floods in New Hampshire1,048 records