Worcester County, Massachusetts severe weather history spans 1,258 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #70 nationally and #1 in Massachusetts.
1,258
Recorded events
96
Direct deaths
1,293
Direct injuries
$292.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Worcester County, Massachusetts severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Worcester County, Massachusetts severe weather history averages 17.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 407 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 115 events fall before 1990 and 1,143 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Worcester County, Massachusetts record is tornado, responsible for 92 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $264.3M 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 Worcester County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 660 | 4 | $14.7M | 110 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 255 | 0 | $125K | 2 | 1956–2025 |
| Flood | 119 | 0 | $9.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 78 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 75 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 52 | 92 | $264.3M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2010 |
Decade by decade
Worcester County, Massachusetts severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
53 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 49 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 | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-01 | EF3 | 3 | 200 | 37.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-10-03 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 35.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-22 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-09 | EF3 | 0 | 17 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-10 | EF2 | 2 | 2 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Worcester County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | Tornado | 90 | 1,228 | $250.0M | |
| Aug 10, 1979 | Tornado | 2 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | WINCHENDON | 2 | 0 | $15K |
| Jun 2, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 22, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | WESTWOOD HILLS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 14 | $25K | |
| Jul 21, 2006 | Lightning | WORCESTER | 0 | 9 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 1997 | Lightning | OAKHAM | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three to seven inches of rain fell across portions of Worcester County, resulting in the Blackstone River at Northbridge rising to minor flood. The Nashua River at Clinton also rose above flood stage. Several roads and basements flooded in Leominster, Fitchburg, Lancaster, Milford, Mendon, Blackstone, Northbridge, and Shrewsbury. Reduced speed limits were imposed on the rail line between Framingham and Worcester.||Clinton experienced substantial flooding two weeks prior to this event. The Nashua River at Clinton crested only four tenths of a foot lower than that event. However, because of the recent flooding, many preparations were made in advance of the rainfall. Roughly 10,000 sandbags were made and placed around Clinton with the help of the Massachusetts National Guard. This alleviated some of the damage that likely would have recurred with the three to six inches of rain that fell.
Lightning caused a massive 6-alarm fire that destroyed a 160-year old church in Spencer, MA. The steeple of the First Congregational United Church came crashing down and this made national news. The rest of the building was destroyed. A detailed analysis of lightning strike data showed that one strike a little north of the church occurred at 2:24:47 PM EDT but a closer one occurred at 2:29:16 PM EDT. That was most likely the one that caused the blaze. No injuries were reported. Damage figure is estimated.
Major flooding occurred along the North Nashua River in Fitchburg. A crest of 8.6 feet was recorded at 530 am on the 16th (flood stage is 6.5 feet). This may have surpassed the previous record high crest which occurred in April, 2007. Widespread flooding was reported along the river in Fitcburg, where several roads were impassable. Minor flooding occurred along the Blackstone River in Northbridge, where the river crested at 10.3 feet at 315 pm on the 16th (flood stage is 9 feet).
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
867,788
Population (ACS)
$424K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Worcester County, Massachusetts?
1,258 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 96 direct deaths and $292.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Worcester County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 660 recorded events — 52.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Worcester County?
53 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 49 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Worcester County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Worcester County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Worcester County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Worcester County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Worcester 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
- Suffolk County 255
- Plymouth County 438
- Norfolk County 562
- Nantucket County 25
- Middlesex County 1,134
- Hampshire County 641
Cite this page
“Worcester County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/worcester-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.