Cheshire County, New Hampshire severe weather history spans 567 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #669 nationally and #2 in New Hampshire.
567
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$22.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Cheshire County, New Hampshire severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cheshire County, New Hampshire severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 190 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 524 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cheshire County, New Hampshire record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $18.9M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cheshire County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 357 | 0 | $1.4M | 92 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 103 | 0 | $13K | 2 | 1970–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 2 | $18.9M | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $2.1M | F2 | 1959–2024 |
| Lightning | 15 | 0 | $177K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $263K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2002 |
Decade by decade
Cheshire County, New Hampshire severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-05-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 37.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cheshire County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2005 | Flash Flood | ALSTEAD | 2 | 0 | $10.0M |
| Aug 16, 2003 | Lightning | JAFFREY | 0 | 12 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2010 | Lightning | RINDGE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2015 | Lightning | MARLBOROUGH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2010 | Lightning | FITZWILLIAM | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2003 | Flash Flood | CHESTERFIELD | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jul 7, 1997 | Lightning | RICHMOND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 1997 | Tornado | SWANZEY | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Jaffrey airport reported 6.9 in 18 hours, measuring 6 to 8 inches of rain in 24 hours. More than 15 roads were washed out, one of which lost a major culvert. Damage figures were estimated over $1 million mainly for damage to roads and bridges. There was a voluntary evacuation for 39 homes on Letourneau Drive off Nutting Road after a bridge was flooded by a small stream.
Two rounds of heavy rain impacted Keene on the evening of the 17th. The first round came around 9 PM causing some localized flash flooding. Shortly after midnight another round of heavy rainfall moved over the area resulting in another surge of floodwaters into the city. In all, over 80 residential basements flooded along with several businesses. A large sinkhole developed on Roxbury Street with severe damage. There were at least 2 evacuations, one on Wetmore Street and another at Boston Place.
Multiple roads washed out. Scott Pond Road, Warren Hill Rd, Royalston Rd, Sandy Hollow Rd, Rhododendron Rd, Old Coach Road, Lower Templeton Tpke. Nearby rain gages reported between 4 to 6 inches of rainfall, with the heaviest rain shortly after midnight.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
77,297
Population (ACS)
$280K
Median home value
33
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 4, 2021 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 30, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 21, 2016 | Fire | STODDARD FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cheshire County, New Hampshire?
567 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $22.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cheshire County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 357 recorded events — 63.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cheshire County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cheshire County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cheshire County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cheshire County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cheshire County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cheshire County, New Hampshire 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
- Carroll County 405
- Coos County 364
- Belknap County 281
- Grafton County 775
- Hillsborough County 507
- Merrimack County 460
Cite this page
“Cheshire County, New Hampshire.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-hampshire/cheshire-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.