627
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$4.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Middlesex County, Massachusetts: 627 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #51 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Middlesex County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Middlesex County is the 2010s, when 236 of the county's 627 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 Middlesex County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 55.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #51 for this hazard and #3 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 98.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Middlesex County with 214 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2020 | NORTH SHIRLEY | 61 | 0 | 5 | $2K |
| Aug 5, 2005 | NATICK | 50 | 0 | 4 | $15K |
| Jun 2, 1989 | 60 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 2, 1989 | 60 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 23, 1988 | 60 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Aug 8, 1986 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Sep 14, 1995 | Lowell | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 6, 2014 | WESTLANDS | 50 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2025 | (BED)HANSCOM FLD BED | 51 | $0 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | RIVERSIDE | 50 | $10K |
| Sep 6, 2025 | CHERRY BROOK | 50 | $300 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | KELLY CORNER | 50 | $100 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | NORTH SUDBURY | 50 | $800 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | GLEASONDALE | 50 | $100 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | HUDSON | 50 | $5K |
| Aug 13, 2025 | DUNSTABLE | 50 | $500 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | NORTH PEPPERELL | 50 | $1K |
| Aug 13, 2025 | HOVEY CORNER | 50 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Middlesex County
- Hail 182
- Flood 150
- Flash Flood 75
- Lightning 63
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst occurred in Arlington, downing numerous trees. Most of these trees were downed in an approximately 1 square mile section of eastern Arlington, between the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Broadway and Route 16 around the Cambridge/Arlington line. Numerous houses and vehicles were damaged by downed trees. Traffic signals and street lights were also damaged or downed by falling trees/wind.
A microburst with estimated winds of 90-100 mph produced significant damage to trees and homes in a small part of Pepperell. Several large trees were uprooted near Brookline Street and Cheyenne Road, some onto houses. Trees were snapped about two to three feet from their bases farther down on Cheyenne Road near Algonquin Road. A couple of trees were also downed on Gosselin Drive and Seminole Drive. According to the Emergency Management Director, four telephone poles were snapped and seven homes had damage, six of which were significant with roofs penetrated and garages destroyed by falling trees. Miraculously, there were no injuries.
A powerful microburst occurred in Bedford with estimated 90 to 100 mph wind gusts. Approximately 50 to 70 trees were blown down, most of them healthy pine trees 100 feet tall. The trees were blown down, snapped at least halfway up, or uprooted. Eight trees fell onto houses causing significant damage. On Hilltop Drive and Hemlock Lane alone, more than two dozen pine trees were knocked down.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?
627 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Middlesex County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Middlesex County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Middlesex County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/middlesex-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.