Vermont severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 14 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,342 severe thunderstorm wind events in Vermont from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 64 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 18, 1987 thunderstorm wind in Orleans County: 2 deaths and 5 injuries. Vermont ranks 42nd of 52 states and territories by count and 29th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Vermont, 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
- 2,3421955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 64average
- Deaths
- 838 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $40Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2007125 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 Vermont?
Vermont averages about 64 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 42nd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (125). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Vermont records 2541 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 29th 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 Vermont have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Chittenden County leads Vermont: 130 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 242.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Chittenden County has the most thunderstorm wind records (297 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 Vermont?
57% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (824 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 4 · Mar 18 · Apr 17 · May 341 · Jun 504 · Jul 824 · Aug 445 · Sep 155 · Oct 20 · Nov 8 · Dec 6 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Vermont?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-18 | Thunderstorm WindOrleans County | 2 | 5 | – | |
| 2009-08-19 | Thunderstorm WindCastleton, Rutland County A few branches and power lines downed by thunderstorm winds across Belgo road in Castleton. | 50 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $1K |
| 2019-07-30 | Thunderstorm WindChamplain Airport, Chittenden County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A weak upper level disturbance moving through a very warm, humid and unstable air mass lead to scattered thunderstorms, including several severe storms in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Severe storms caused damaging winds in the form of downed tree limbs, trees and utility lines. An elderly couple drowned while ... | 50 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $81K |
| 1999-07-05 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Orleans County A mesoscale convective complex consisting of a cluster of thunderstorms moved across northern New York and northern Vermont during the early morning hours of Monday, July 5th. Across Orleans county Vermont, there were numerous reports of trees and power lines blown down with thousands without power.One death occurred ... | 1 | 0 | $106K | |
| 2016-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindHubbardton, Rutland County Trees down along Route 30 and other parts of town, some falling on structures. 1 fatality. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $31K |
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 Vermont
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08-25 | Thunderstorm WindRutland County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 1993-08-31 | Thunderstorm WindEnosburg Falls, Franklin 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 | 4 | $1.0M | |
| 1993-08-24 | Thunderstorm WindAddison 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 | 3 | $1.0M | |
| 1994-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindNewport, Orleans County | 0 | 0 | $995K | |
| 1998-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindBomoseen, Rutland County | 0 | 1 | $905K | |
| 2010-07-21 | Thunderstorm WindEast Brookfield, Orange County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 75 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $744K |
| 2014-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindBurlington Airport, Chittenden County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $623K |
| 2022-08-26 | Thunderstorm WindWallingford, Rutland County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $605K |
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 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.
| Decade | Vermont | United States | Vermont's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 15 | 3,482 | 0.43% |
| 1960s | 39 | 10,124 | 0.39% |
| 1970s | 43 | 18,714 | 0.23% |
| 1980s | 166 | 39,604 | 0.42% |
| 1990s | 401 | 85,554 | 0.47% |
| 2000s | 517 | 129,990 | 0.40% |
| 2010s | 749 | 161,286 | 0.46% |
| 2020-26 | 412 | 126,815 | 0.32% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Vermont
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindRutland County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindProctor, Rutland County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindEast Putney, Windham County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindWestminster West, Windham County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindWest Dummerston, Windham County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindPownal Center, Bennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindArlington, Bennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Bennington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindQuechee, Windsor County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindHartford, Windsor County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown, Orange County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindBarre, Washington County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $25K |
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 Vermont
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 29 declarations in Vermont, 29 of them major disasters; the latest on August 20, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-20 | DR-4810 | Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 8 |
| 2024-04-19 | DR-4770 | Severe Winter Storm | 5 |
| 2024-03-02 | DR-4762 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 7 |
| 2023-03-20 | DR-4695 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 8 |
| 2020-01-17 | DR-4474 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 8 |
| 2018-07-30 | DR-4380 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 5 |
| 2018-01-02 | DR-4356 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 10 |
| 2017-08-16 | DR-4330 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 7 |
| 2015-07-29 | DR-4232 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 2 |
| 2015-02-03 | DR-4207 | Severe Winter Storm | 10 |
| 2012-06-22 | DR-4066 | Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding | 3 |
| 2011-11-08 | DR-4043 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 3 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Chittenden County: the county's whole recordThe Vermont 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 VermontTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Vermont4,758 records
- High wind and dust storms in Vermont1,086 records
- Floods in Vermont911 records