192
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$749K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Bristol County, Massachusetts: 192 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #1,103 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Bristol County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Bristol County is the 2010s, when 70 of the county's 192 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Bristol County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 36.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,103 for this hazard and #10 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 64.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Bristol County with 72 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1996 | NEW BEDFORD | 50 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2025 | WADES CORNER | 50 | $800 |
| Jul 25, 2025 | RAYNHAM CENTER | 50 | $500 |
| Jul 25, 2025 | RAYNHAM CENTER | 50 | $300 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | PINE HILL ACRES | 50 | $300 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | ACUSHNET | 50 | $300 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | ACUSHNET | 50 | $2K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | ACUSHNET | 50 | $8K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | LAKESIDE | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | SOMERSET | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | FALL RIVER | 50 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Bristol County
- Flood 111
- Hail 80
- Flash Flood 60
- Lightning 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Trees, limbs, and wires were downed by thunderstorm in parts of New Bedford, including on Howard Street, Conduit Street, Union Street, 6th Street, Aquidneck Street, Brock Avenue, Hawthorn Street, Page Street, and Brownell Street. One of these trees was downed onto a car on Howard Street.
Damage in Dartmouth was consistent with straight-line winds with maximum gusts estimated at 65 mph. The damage occurred on Sunset lane and adjacent portions of Stoneledge Road to the north and Swift road to the south. Large maple and oak trees were mostly blown down and some large branches were broken off of others.
At 250 PM EST, trees were brought down on Route 44 in Rehoboth. Trees were also brought down on Cedar Street, River Street, and Bay State Road between 250 PM and 310 PM EST. Multiple trees and wires were brought down on Elm Street and County Street.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Bristol County, Massachusetts?
192 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Bristol County between 1966 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Bristol County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Bristol County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Bristol County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Bristol County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/bristol-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.