Grafton County, New Hampshire severe weather history spans 775 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #315 nationally and #1 in New Hampshire.
775
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$46.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Grafton County, New Hampshire severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Grafton County, New Hampshire severe weather history averages 11.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 344 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 721 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Grafton County, New Hampshire record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $34.9M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Grafton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 399 | 0 | $24K | 72 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 132 | 0 | $7K | 3 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 110 | 0 | $10.2M | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 107 | 2 | $34.9M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $433K | F2 | 1963–2024 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $835K | 0 | 1997–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $9K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Grafton 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
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-08-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Grafton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1998 | Flash Flood | PIERMONT | 1 | 1 | $1.5M |
| Oct 30, 2012 | Debris Flow | LINCOLN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 1996 | Flash Flood | BRISTOL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 23, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 21, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH DORCHESTER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2005 | Lightning | PLYMOUTH | 0 | 1 | $110K |
| Jun 10, 2005 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Aug 16, 2003 | Lightning | WARREN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man was standing 5 feet from the edge of a 10-15 ft high embankment at a building site located on the steep slope of a mountain. Heavy rains from Sandy caused the embankment to collapsed causing a mudslide. The victim was caught in the mudslide and was washed into a ravine along with mud and boulders. Cause of death was attributed to blunt trauma to the head and suffocation due to the inhalation of mud and water.
Slow moving thunderstorms produced 4 to 7 inches of rain which fell in less than 6 hours, causing serious flash flooding. Many roads were flooded and destroyed. Several homes were also flooded and damaged. Groton and Orange New Hampshire were the most seriously affected. In Groton the Cockermouth River rose almost 8 feet in just over an hour, flooding much of Sculptured Rocks Road. Towns seriously affected were Campton, Canaan, Dorchester, Enfield, Grafton, Groton, Hebron, Orange, and Rumney.
Strong thunderstorms dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain in about 3 hours causing washouts and flooding on several roads in Haverhill and flooding two operating rooms at Cottage Hospital to a depth of 3 inches. The roads either flooded or washed out were: Ansley Rd, Daniels Rd, Court St, Country Land Drive, Brushwood Rd, Depot St, and Swiftwater Rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
92,120
Population (ACS)
$345K
Median home value
40
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 10, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 19, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 27, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Woodstock 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Grafton County, New Hampshire?
775 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $46.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Grafton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 399 recorded events — 51.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Grafton County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Grafton County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Grafton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Grafton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Grafton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Grafton 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
- Coos County 364
- Hillsborough County 507
- Cheshire County 567
- Merrimack County 460
- Carroll County 405
- Rockingham County 537
Cite this page
“Grafton County, New Hampshire.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-hampshire/grafton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.