Middlesex County, Connecticut severe weather history spans 231 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,246 nationally and #8 in Connecticut.
231
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Middlesex County, Connecticut severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Middlesex County, Connecticut severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 74 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 213 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Middlesex County, Connecticut record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $320K 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 Middlesex County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $302K | 96 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $1 | 2.75 | 1960–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Lightning | 17 | 1 | $188K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $320K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $258K | F3 | 1950–1998 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Middlesex County, Connecticut severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-08-21 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Middlesex County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2000 | Lightning | MIDDLETOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 1996 | Strong Wind | CLINTON BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Jun 22, 2024 | Lightning | GOODRICH HGTS | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2001 | Lightning | CLINTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2000 | Lightning | CROMWELL | 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 Old Saybrook Police Department on Main St. suffered severe flood damage to the building, stored equipment and records after 8 inches of water accumulated in the basement. The Parks and Recreation Department building also in Old Saybrook and the Senior Center in Westbrook also suffered from minor flood damage. In Clinton, widespread damage to houses from flooding was reported across town.
Runoff from heavy rain caused a number of basements of government buildings and individual homes and businesses to be flooded throughout the town of Portland. The flooding caused extensive damage to town and school records and other materials that were stored in the basement of the Brownstone Intermediate School on Main St. and the Senior Center on Waverly Ave., which houses the Portland Food Bank. Water rescues were also performed by local authorities on Main St. near the Arrigoni Bridge which stretches over the Connecticut River. Total property damage is estimated.
A mudslide at the Newfield St. apartment complex in Middletown left the concrete foundation of one of the buildings exposed with a sheer drop to the Coginchaug River below.||Total rainfall amounts received across Middlesex County ranged from 5.14 inches in Portland to 5.67 inches in Clinton.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Middlesex County, Connecticut?
231 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $1.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Middlesex County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 110 recorded events — 47.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Middlesex County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Middlesex County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Middlesex County, each tied to a specific incident period.
Where does the Middlesex 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
- Litchfield County 915
- New Haven County 641
- Hartford County 806
- New London County 355
- Fairfield County 816
- Tolland County 327
Cite this page
“Middlesex County, Connecticut.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/connecticut/middlesex-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.