Rockingham County, New Hampshire severe weather history spans 537 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #759 nationally and #3 in New Hampshire.
537
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
50
Direct injuries
$20.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Rockingham County, New Hampshire severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rockingham County, New Hampshire severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 205 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 495 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rockingham County, New Hampshire record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $11.2M 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 Rockingham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 258 | 4 | $66K | 97 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 169 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1963–2025 |
| Lightning | 56 | 0 | $2.3M | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $11.2M | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $5.2M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $1.2M | F3 | 1951–2008 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 6 | 0 | $435K | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
Decade by decade
Rockingham County, New Hampshire severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 2 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 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-24 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 50.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-08-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rockingham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 11 | $0 | |
| Jul 24, 2008 | Tornado | LEAVITTS HILL | 1 | 2 | $840K |
| Jun 17, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WINDHAM | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | HAMPTON FALLS | 0 | 10 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jul 11, 2006 | Lightning | CHESTER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 21, 2006 | Tornado | HAMPTON FALLS | 0 | 2 | $3K |
| Jul 28, 2005 | Lightning | SALEM | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An E-F2 tornado touched down about 5 miles southwest of Northwood Narrows and moved north northeast for a little over 5 miles before crossing into Merrimack County. Numerous trees were downed and many homes were damaged or destroyed. A woman was killed when the house she was in collapsed.
A coastal front was established along coastal Rockingham County that became the focus for localized moderate to heavy rain through the morning hours of January 13th. The increased rainfall rates with rainfall totals of 2 inches on already saturated ground led to rapid runoff of small streams and rivers along coastal watersheds. The freshwater run-off coincided with the historical storm tide water levels not allowing for water to drain into the oceans. This interaction led to flash flooding at the time of high tide, causing numerous low lying back-bay areas to flood, along with streams crossing roads at the intersection with tidal areas. Flooding of this variety was reported across all coastal Rockingham County towns. Numerous swift water rescues already occurred at this time with motorists being stranded in their vehicles.
Numerous trees reported down in Rye, NH as strong outflow winds brought damaging wind gusts to the region. Unofficial wind gusts in the upper 70s were reported from backyard weather stations as the line passed through the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
319,082
Population (ACS)
$498K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 19, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 8, 2018 | Coastal Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rockingham County, New Hampshire?
537 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $20.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rockingham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 258 recorded events — 48.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rockingham County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rockingham County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rockingham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rockingham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockingham County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rockingham County, New Hampshire 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
- Merrimack County 460
- Strafford County 256
- Hillsborough County 507
- Sullivan County 263
- Grafton County 775
- Coos County 364
Cite this page
“Rockingham County, New Hampshire.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-hampshire/rockingham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.