148
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$168K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Belknap County, New Hampshire: 148 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 91. That places the county #1,551 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Belknap County, New Hampshire: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Belknap County is the 2010s, when 59 of the county's 148 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 Belknap County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 52.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,551 for this hazard and #9 within New Hampshire, putting it in the 50.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Belknap County with 66 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 1999 | SANBORNTON | 60 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2025 | GILMANTON | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 20, 2025 | GAZA | 91 | $30K |
| Jun 24, 2025 | GILMANTON IRONWORKS | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2024 | ALTON | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2024 | GILMANTON IRONWORKS | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2024 | BELMONT | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2022 | GILMANTON | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2022 | WEST CENTER HARBOR | 52 | $5K |
| Jul 12, 2022 | LACONIA | 52 | $3K |
| Jul 21, 2021 | MEREDITH | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Belknap County
- Hail 64
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Significant tree damage was located in Sanbornton, NH that was consistent with a wet microburst. Numerous eye witnesses expressed that the strongest winds occurred with the heaviest downpour. Damage was variable in the downburst area with a general southeast fall direction to the trees being observed. There where two distinct pockets of damage that took hundreds of trees down, to include pine, oak and maple. Trees where both uprooted and snapped. In addition, hundreds of other trees where downed on the edges of the damage area, but damage was more sporadic in nature. Some structural damage did occur, but was mostly confined to sheds and shelter structures. A few vehicles were also damaged due to trees falling on them. Additional damage was likely further in the woods, but was not accessible for the damage survey. An estimated 500 trees were either snapped or blown down in the damage area.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down numerous trees in Barnstead. Deputy Fire Chief reported multiple homes with structural damage due to downed trees. A water rescue was performed in a nearby lake due to a flipped boat caused by the wind gusts.
A severe thunderstorm produced a microburst in the area immediately around Sawyer Lake in Gilmanton with the greatest observed damage along Woods Road on the west side of the lake. Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted by the microburst with several homes or cottages damaged by falling trees. Residents in the area reported that very heavy rain and nickel-sized hail accompanied the strong winds. The area damaged by the microburst was estimated to be 1100 yards long and 500 yards with maximum wind gusts of 80 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Belknap County, New Hampshire?
148 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Belknap County between 1960 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Belknap County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Belknap County measured 91.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Belknap 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 Belknap County, New Hampshire.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-hampshire/belknap-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.