Middlesex County, Massachusetts severe weather history spans 1,134 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #94 nationally and #2 in Massachusetts.
1,134
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
66
Direct injuries
$70.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Middlesex County, Massachusetts severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Middlesex County, Massachusetts severe weather history averages 16.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 439 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 74 events fall before 1990 and 1,060 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, Massachusetts record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $41.7M 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 Middlesex County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 627 | 0 | $4.6M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $75K | 2.25 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 150 | 0 | $41.7M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 75 | 0 | $15.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 63 | 1 | $2.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 21 | 1 | $4.9M | F3 | 1955–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Middlesex County, Massachusetts severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-06-09 | EF4 | 94 | 1,228 | 34.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-10-03 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 35.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-09-29 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-21 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-09 | EF1 | 1 | 6 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-08-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Middlesex County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2000 | Lightning | WESTFORD | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 1970 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Jul 23, 1998 | Lightning | CONCORD | 0 | 11 | $70K |
| Jul 9, 2004 | Lightning | WESTFORD | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Oct 7, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH SHIRLEY | 0 | 5 | $2K |
| Aug 5, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | NATICK | 0 | 4 | $15K |
| Jun 2, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 2, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The most significant flash flooding affected Somerville, where damage was estimated to be around ten million dollars. Several businesses experienced severe flooding, and the Somerville Public Safety Building was inundated with nearly four feet of water. Three police cruisers were destroyed. Two schools and the library were also affected. Over three feet of water flooded Washington Street at McGrath Highway where several cars were stranded. A water rescue was required at an underpass in Union Square as flood waters rapidly inundated a vehicle. Widespread significant street flooding also occurred in Watertown, Belmont, Cambridge, and Medford.
A tornado developed within an area of showers and thunderstorms moving through southern New England. This tornado touched down near the Cambridge Turnpike and headed northeast. Most of the damage was concentrated in an area beginning near the intersection of Lexington Road and Alcott Road and continuing up to the neighborhood of Alcott and Independence Roads. Numerous trees were uprooted or had the tops sheared off. These subsequently blocked roads, damaged homes, and downed power lines, cutting off power to the neighborhood. In addition, utility poles were downed either from the wind or from the downed power lines. Thirty-nine houses in this area were damaged to some degree. Only one house suffered significant structural damage. The tornado continued for a short distance beyond this neighborhood before lifting. The historical home of Louisa May Alcott and her family was right next to the tornado path but was not damaged.
In Waltham, adjacent to Lexington Street, significant flooding occurred in a parking lot full of unoccupied school buses. Eight school buses were unable to be moved due to flood waters reaching as high as the engine battery levels. Broadcast media showed a Twitter photo of this event.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,638,365
Population (ACS)
$728K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 19, 2018 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 13, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 19, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?
1,134 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $70.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Middlesex County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 627 recorded events — 55.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Middlesex County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Middlesex County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Middlesex County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Middlesex County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Middlesex County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Middlesex County, Massachusetts 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
- Hampshire County 641
- Nantucket County 25
- Hampden County 910
- Norfolk County 562
- Franklin County 702
- Plymouth County 438
Cite this page
“Middlesex County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/middlesex-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.