New London County, Connecticut severe weather history spans 355 recorded events between 1963 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,458 nationally and #5 in Connecticut.
355
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$7.9M
Property damage
The record
What the New London County, Connecticut severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, New London County, Connecticut severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 117 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 343 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the New London County, Connecticut record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $6.6M 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 New London County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 136 | 2 | $386K | 74 | 1969–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 81 | 0 | $806K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Hail | 62 | 0 | $500 | 2.75 | 1963–2024 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $6.6M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Lightning | 17 | 1 | $49K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $64K | F1 | 1998–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2012 |
Decade by decade
New London County, Connecticut severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in New London County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | RIDGEWOOD | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| Aug 4, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST MYSTIC | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 19, 1997 | Lightning | GRISWOLD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2012 | Lightning | PRESTON | 0 | 11 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | Lightning | VOLUNTOWN | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Sep 18, 2005 | Lightning | NIANTIC | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2017 | Lightning | NORTH STONINGTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2016 | Lightning | VERSAILLES | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
In Stonington and N. Stonington, numerous roads were closed and reports of numerous houses with serious basement flooding, up to 3 ft. high, was received. The intersection of Montauk Ave. and Mistuxet Ave. just outside of Mystic was also closed due to flooding. Several basement offices in Stonington Town Hall on Elm St. were flooded. Floodwaters also caused extensive damage to the bridge over Shunock Brook on Wyassup Rd. between Avery Ln. and Main St., and a historic 150 year old building that houses the Watermark Cafe and the Village Hardware Store. Lantern Hill Rd, Grindstone Hill Rd., Loin Hill Rd. and Pinewoods Rd. were completely washed out and in need of major repairs.
Major flooding occurred on the Quinnebaug River at Jewett City. The river crested at 23.26 ft. at 0630 EST on March 31, 2010 and remained above flood stage until the morning of April 1. As a result, roads were damaged by flood waters including, South Main St. A retaining wall was also damaged on School St. A woman nearly electrocuted herself while attempting to unplug a clothes dryer. Water inside the walls of her 24 Wedgewood Dr. apartment caused the wire to become live and she was badly shocked and taken to the hospital. Coincidentally, 13 other apartments were evacuated after the ceilings collapsed inside the first and second-floor apartments. The Jewett City sewage treatment plant also located on Wedgewood Dr. suffered severe flooding and the National Guard was called in to assist in the efforts to keep raw sewage from backing into homes and into the Quinebaug River.
In Old Mystic, raging waters from a small stream that empties into the Mystic River tore out a small bridge on Route 184, flooded numerous homes and businesses, such as the Old Mystic General Store, post office and Old Mystic Mill on Main St., as well as trapped cars. Route 27 nearby remained closed and River Rd. was eventually closed as well.||Total rainfall amounts received across New London County ranged from 6.04 in Old Lyme to 8.60 in Mystic.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND A POTENTIAL DAM BREACH | EM |
| Oct 30, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HENRI | EM |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR |
| Aug 6, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | EM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in New London County, Connecticut?
355 events are on record between 1963 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $7.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in New London County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 136 recorded events — 38.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed New London County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover New London County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include New London County, each tied to a specific incident period.
Where does the New London County, Connecticut 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
- New Haven County 641
- Tolland County 327
- Middlesex County 231
- Windham County 290
- Litchfield County 915
- Hartford County 806
Cite this page
“New London County, Connecticut.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/connecticut/new-london-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.