78
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Worcester County, Massachusetts: 78 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #279 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Worcester County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Worcester County is the 2020s, when 36 of the county's 78 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 Worcester County archive, flash flood makes up 6.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #279 for this hazard and #2 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 90.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Worcester County with 25 recorded events, while Feb 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2025 | RUTLAND | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2024 | SOUTH WORCESTER | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 2023 | WHALOM | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 2023 | WHALOM | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 2023 | WHALOM | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 2023 | FITCHBURG MUNI ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | WHALOM | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | LEOMINSTER | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | LEOMINSTER | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | WAITES CORNER | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Worcester County
- Thunderstorm Wind 660
- Hail 255
- Flood 119
- Lightning 75
- Tornado 52
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were flooded and subsequently closed across much of southern Worcester County. The worst flooding was experienced in Westborough and Worcester. The Westborough News reported it as the worst flooding Westborough has seen in years. The Westborough fire department took 57 calls due to either flooded basements or motorists stranded in flood waters. Flooding was especially bad in the streets behind Westborough High School, south of the Westborough Reservoir and around the Jackstraw Brook. In Worcester, numerous streets were flooded and washed out. Two people were rescued from flood waters in Southborough. In addition, a couple of propane tanks had to be secured at a house on Parkerville Road because they were floating in the waters. The Southborough Fire Department received 26 calls of basement flooding. Six inches of water inundated the Southborough Public Library's children's section, damaging books.
Numerous streets in Worcester were flooded and impassable. Manhole covers popped on Park Avenue. A car was stuck in flood waters on southbound Route 146 at exit 12. Cars were flooded in a parking lot on Glennie Street near the W. B. Mason store.
In Shrewsbury, Route 9 from the Worcester/Shrewsbury line to Route 140 was flooded. In Worcester, flash flooding resulted in motorists being rescued from their cars and homeowners trying to get water out of their basements. Sunderland Road and Bowman Lane were both closed due to flooding, while Lake Street had three feet of water standing in the street. Water on a side street to Hamilton Street overtopped the roof of a car stalled in the road. Flood waters inundated at least 70 basements with water standing 12 to 18 inches deep.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Worcester County, Massachusetts?
78 flash flood events are recorded in Worcester County between 1996 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Worcester County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Worcester County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Worcester 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
“Flash Flood in Worcester County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/worcester-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.