Barnstable County, Massachusetts severe weather history spans 269 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,971 nationally and #11 in Massachusetts.
269
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$12.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Barnstable County, Massachusetts severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barnstable County, Massachusetts severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 254 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Barnstable County, Massachusetts record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.9M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Barnstable County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 106 | 0 | $4.0M | 95 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 49 | 0 | $12K | 1.75 | 1962–2024 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $147K | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Lightning | 32 | 1 | $2.8M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $141K | 0 | 2005–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $4.9M | F1 | 1968–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Barnstable County, Massachusetts severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-22 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-09-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barnstable County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2009 | Lightning | ORLEANS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2012 | Lightning | EASTHAM | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 27, 2001 | Lightning | EASTHAM | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 2016 | Lightning | FORESTDALE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2009 | Lightning | EAST SANDWICH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUZZARDS BAY | 0 | 1 | $500 |
| Apr 17, 2002 | Lightning | EAST SANDWICH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The same supercell storm that produced the Barnstable-Yarmouth tornado went on to touch down again near the center of Harwich, MA at 1210 PM EDT (1110 AM EST). The initial touchdown was just east of Harwich Elementary School, just south of Parallel Street. It moved northeast through Harwich Center, passing just south of a golf course, and lifted in East Harwich in the Vicinity of Queen Anne Road. At least 150 hardwood trees were either uprooted or snapped. A few homes also had shingles that were ripped off. Wind gusts were estimated as high as 110 mph, which is on the high end of the Enhanced Fujita EF-1 ranking. Harwich spent $1.2 million on cleanup of roads. That figure is estimated to be one-third of the total costs, when individual homeowner claims are taken into account.||The tornado then lifted. However, severe straight-line wind damage was observed in Chatham. Numerous large trees were uprooted, consistent with 90 mph gusts or greater.
A NWS survey team determined that although a weak, shallow waterspout was observed over the southern end of the Bass River, the damage observed in West Dennis was from straight-line microburst winds, estimated at 90+ mph. Media and amateur radio contributed to the following reports, as well. Numerous trees and wires were snapped or downed at Wrinkle Point. Trees and wires were down on Loring Avenue. Wires were down on Corporation Road. Trees, wires, and a utility pole were down on Pleasant Street. Wires were down on a car on Depot Street at Vester Drive. Power lines were down on Old Wharf Road. Trees down on Sunset Drive. There were many others. State Emergency Management reported that the cost to Dennis just for cleaning up the roads was a whopping $860,000. Total estimates were approximately triple that figure, when accounting for individual homeowner and business claims.
In Chatham, a NWS survey found numerous large trees uprooted, consistent with 90+ mph microburst straight line winds, which is what remained after the Harwich tornado lifted. Two utility poles were leaning on Morris Island Road with one snapped in half and wires hanging low to the ground. A mesonet site reported a gust to 85 mph at 1115 AM EST (1215 PM EDT). Emergency management cited $426,000 in costs for the town to clean debris from roadways. Total damage estimates are much higher, accounting for individual homeowner and business claims.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
231,668
Population (ACS)
$629K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Apr 18, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM HENRI | EM |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
269 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barnstable County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 106 recorded events — 39.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barnstable County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barnstable County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barnstable County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barnstable County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barnstable County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barnstable County, Massachusetts severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Berkshire County 1,004
- Bristol County 521
- Dukes County 51
- Essex County 663
- Franklin County 702
- Hampden County 910
Cite this page
“Barnstable County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/barnstable-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.