Hampden County, Massachusetts severe weather history spans 910 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #200 nationally and #4 in Massachusetts.
910
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
209
Direct injuries
$239.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Hampden County, Massachusetts severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hampden County, Massachusetts severe weather history averages 13.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 346 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 830 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hampden County, Massachusetts record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $228.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hampden County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 492 | 0 | $5.5M | 90 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 239 | 0 | $3.0M | 3 | 1958–2025 |
| Flood | 78 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 0 | $539K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 31 | 0 | $558K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 19 | 3 | $228.3M | F2 | 1956–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Hampden County, Massachusetts severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-10-03 | EF4 | 3 | 500 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-06-01 | EF3 | 3 | 200 | 37.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hampden County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2011 | Tornado | WESTFIELD | 3 | 200 | $227.6M |
| Jul 27, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST SPRINGFIELD | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| May 27, 2008 | Lightning | SOUTHWICK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2011 | Lightning | MONSON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILLIMANSETT | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Jun 27, 2007 | Lightning | PALMER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 1996 | Lightning | LUDLOW | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Quarter to half dollar size hail fell on Main Street, accumulating up to two inches in spots. A car on Fairview Avenue was damaged with numerous hail dents. There were also several reports of nickel size hail in the area of Riverdale Road. About 500 cars at the Balise family of car dealerships were damaged. Damage ranged from minimal to extensive. Further damage was found two weeks later, when heavy rain fell through small holes in the roof of Chestnut Middle School, resulting in water damage.
A microburst occurred near Wilbraham resulting in significant tree damage. Hundreds of trees were downed, some across roads, others into buildings. Ten to twenty roads or portions of roads were closed at any one time, thanks to trees and power lines down across them. The greatest concentration of wind damage was located in Wilbraham along an approximately 2 mile long path that extended from just north of Springfield Street across the Country Club of Wilbraham to just beyond Tinkham Road. Based on tree damage, the strongest winds were estimated to have been between 90 and 100 mph and occurred over a path that averaged 250 yards extending to 600 yards at its widest point along Springfield Road. Outside of this path, wind damage was less significant but still occurred for a half a mile on either side of the strongest wind core.
After receiving five to six inches of rain associated with Tropical Storm Irene, Granville Road in Westfield washed out. Route 202 and Union Street were closed due to flooding from the Westfield River. Houses on Ellsworth Street were evacuated due to the flooding on the Westfield River.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
462,815
Population (ACS)
$299K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 19, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Jan 6, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hampden County, Massachusetts?
910 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $239.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hampden County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 492 recorded events — 54.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hampden County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hampden County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hampden County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hampden County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hampden County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 93 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hampden 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
- Franklin County 702
- Hampshire County 641
- Essex County 663
- Middlesex County 1,134
- Dukes County 51
- Nantucket County 25
Cite this page
“Hampden County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/hampden-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.