Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit New Hampshire: hurricane history

31 storms have passed within 50 km of New Hampshire from 1858 to 2011, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near New Hampshire

The record holds 31 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of New Hampshire between 1858 and 2011. The busiest month is September, with 14 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 3 strength.

  • 31storms within 50 km
  • 3major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 9at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near New Hampshire?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression13%
Tropical storm2168%
Category 1413%
Category 226%
Category 3310%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity00%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

New Hampshire storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 4 in 1860s.1850s1870s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s

The 2010s only run to 2011, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1858, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s1
1860s4
1870s1
1890s4
1900s1
1910s1
1920s1
1930s2
1940s2
1950s2
1960s4
1970s2
1980s1
1990s3
2000s1
2010s1

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 14 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May1Jun0Jul3Aug10Sep14Oct2Nov1Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun0
Jul3
Aug10
Sep14
Oct2
Nov1
Dec0

Strongest storms near New Hampshire

  • Unnamed storm of September 1938 (North Atlantic)9 September 1938 to 23 September 1938, Category 3 (105 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 940 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1869 (North Atlantic)2 September 1869 to 9 September 1869, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa
  • Carol (1954)25 August 1954 to 1 September 1954, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 955 hPa
  • Donna (1960)29 August 1960 to 14 September 1960, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 930 hPa
  • Bob (1991)16 August 1991 to 29 August 1991, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1893 (North Atlantic)13 August 1893 to 26 August 1893, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 952 hPa

Most recent storms near New Hampshire

  • Irene (2011)21 August 2011 to 30 August 2011, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 942 hPa
  • Hermine (2004)27 August 2004 to 31 August 2004, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 1,002 hPa
  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa
  • Bertha (1996)5 July 1996 to 17 July 1996, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 960 hPa
  • Bob (1991)16 August 1991 to 29 August 1991, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Notable storms near New Hampshire with their own pages

  • Carol (1954)25 August 1954 to 1 September 1954, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 955 hPa
  • Donna (1960)29 August 1960 to 14 September 1960, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 930 hPa
  • Bob (1991)16 August 1991 to 29 August 1991, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa
  • Gloria (1985)16 September 1985 to 2 October 1985, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 920 hPa
  • Belle (1976)6 August 1976 to 10 August 1976, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 957 hPa
  • Bertha (1996)5 July 1996 to 17 July 1996, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 960 hPa
  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa
  • Irene (2011)21 August 2011 to 30 August 2011, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 942 hPa

New Hampshire counties

Every county that a storm has come near is listed, most storms first. 10 of them have at least 3 storms and their own page.

CountyStormsStrongest near the county
Merrimack County23Category 3
Hillsborough County22Category 3
Rockingham County22Category 3
Strafford County20Category 3
Belknap County19Category 3
Carroll County18Category 1
Cheshire County18Category 3
Grafton County11Category 1
Sullivan County11Category 1
Coos County9Category 1

Other states

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