Plymouth County, Massachusetts severe weather history spans 438 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,106 nationally and #10 in Massachusetts.
438
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
86
Direct injuries
$32.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Plymouth County, Massachusetts severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Plymouth County, Massachusetts severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 128 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 412 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Plymouth County, Massachusetts record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $24.9M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Plymouth County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 194 | 1 | $5.1M | 90 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $46K | 2.75 | 1959–2025 |
| Flood | 54 | 0 | $24.9M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 45 | 1 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 27 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $203K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $566K | F2 | 1958–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Plymouth County, Massachusetts severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-11-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-09-07 | EF0 | 1 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-07-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-08-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Plymouth County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 1958 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $3K | |
| Sep 8, 2010 | Lightning | PLYMOUTH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | HULL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 21, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | BROCKTON | 0 | 60 | $4.0M |
| Jun 26, 2005 | Lightning | ROCKLAND | 0 | 15 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | HINGHAM | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jul 23, 2011 | Lightning | EAST CARVER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2011 | Lightning | PINEHURST BEACH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several small streams went into flood, including the Taunton River at Bridgewater, the Jones River at Kingston, and the Indian Head River at Hanover. Several streets were closed throughout East Bridgewater, Bridgewater, and Whitman. In addition, collections at the Holmes Public Library in Halifax were damaged by floodwaters. Residents of John Dunn Drive in Rockland were evacuated from their homes. Forty homes in Brockton were evacuated after power and gas were shut off to the houses. Several roads were closed in Brockton due to flooding.
A house on Monponsett Street was struck by lightning, causing a fire in the attic. This fire was contained, but caused extensive damage. A second house on Ocean Avenue was struck by lightning, resulting in a fire that fully engulfed the house in flames. This house was a total loss.
In Middleborough, a microburst with winds estimated around 75 mph knocked down multiple trees on a KOA Campground, several of which fell onto cabins, RV campers, and cars. Amazingly, there were no injuries. Just south of the campground, a tree was down on a house on Plymouth Street, with its branches piercing the roof. A large tree was down on wires on Wareham Street at Margery Street. A large tree was down on Harding Street.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
535,075
Population (ACS)
$556K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LEE | EM |
| Apr 18, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 25, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 13, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Plymouth County, Massachusetts?
438 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $32.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Plymouth County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 194 recorded events — 44.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Plymouth County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Plymouth County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Plymouth County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Plymouth County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Plymouth County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Plymouth 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
- Norfolk County 562
- Suffolk County 255
- Nantucket County 25
- Worcester County 1,258
- Middlesex County 1,134
- Hampshire County 641
Cite this page
“Plymouth County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/plymouth-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.