PlainHazard

Vermont heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 14 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 167 heat records in Vermont from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 11 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 1, 2018 heat in Chittenden County: 4 deaths across 2 records. Vermont ranks 39th of 51 states and territories by count and 24th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Vermont, 1996 to 2026

Heat 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
1671996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
11average
Deaths
50 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$8.5Mas filed
Busiest year
201826 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 heat records common in Vermont?

Vermont averages about 11 heat records a year since 2000, 39th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2018 (26). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Vermont records 181 heat records since 1996, 24th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 24. Vermont 181

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 Vermont have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Windham County leads Vermont: 37 days with a heat record since 1996, 47.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Windham County has the most heat records (39 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).

  1. Windham County 47.1 (39)
  2. Bennington County 34.1 (23)
  3. Chittenden County 22.4 (16)
  4. Caledonia County 13.9 (9)
  5. Washington County 11.6 (8)
  6. Franklin County 11.1 (11)
  7. Lamoille County 10.8 (5)
  8. Addison County 10.4 (13)
  9. Orange County 10.2 (7)
  10. Rutland County 8.6 (13)
  11. Windsor County 7.2 (8)
  12. Essex County 6.0 (4)

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 heat season in Vermont?

57% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (56 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 5 · Feb 0 · Mar 20 · Apr 0 · May 1 · Jun 39 · Jul 56 · Aug 37 · Sep 3 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 6 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Vermont?

Vermont: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2018-07-01 HeatChittenden County · forecast zone Western Chittenden One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A dangerous heat wave, one of which that likely hasn't impacted the North Country in decades occurred between June 30th and July 5th. High temperatures exceeded 90 degrees for at least 5 of the six days in many locations were above 85 degrees for 7 days. Heat indices, the combination of temperature and humidity, were ... 4 0 –
2011-07-21 HeatWindsor County · forecast zone Windsor A portion of the heat ridge that brought record setting heat across much of the eastern two-thirds of the lower 48 states, delivered record heat as well as oppressive dew points to portions of Vermont on July 21st. This was the 2nd day of a three to four day heat wave across a large portion of Vermont. Maximum ... 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 heat records in Vermont

Vermont: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2012-03-17 HeatOrange County · forecast zone Orange One storm episode: 16 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $8.5M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Vermont?

Vermont'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.

Heat: Vermont and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeVermontUnited StatesVermont's share
1996-99174,3550.39%
2000s259,1630.27%
2010s5916,4450.36%
2020-266626,7960.25%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Vermont

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-12 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2026-06-11 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2025-07-29 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2025-07-17 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2025-07-16 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2025-06-25 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2025-06-24 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Western Windham 0 0 –
2025-06-24 HeatBennington County · forecast zone Bennington 0 0 –
2025-06-23 Excessive HeatWindham County · forecast zone Eastern Windham 0 0 –
2025-06-23 HeatWindham County · forecast zone Western Windham 0 0 –
2025-06-23 HeatBennington County · forecast zone Bennington 0 0 –
2025-06-23 HeatGrand Isle County · forecast zone Grand Isle 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.

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