Orange County, Vermont severe weather history spans 215 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,349 nationally and #11 in Vermont.
215
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$47.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Orange County, Vermont severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Orange County, Vermont severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 70 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 192 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Orange County, Vermont record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $38.9M 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 Orange County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 132 | 0 | $2.2M | 75 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $80K | 2 | 1980–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $38.9M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $5.5M | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | $165K | 0 | 1999–2012 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $350K | F1 | 1972–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Orange County, Vermont severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Orange County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2012 | Lightning | POST MILLS ARPT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | RANDOLPH CENTER | 0 | 1 | $15K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe flash flooding occurred across portions of Orange county, especially southern and western sections along the foothills of the Green Mountains. Communities such as Braintree, Randolph, Brookfield, Williamstown, Chelsea, Tunbridge and Strafford suffered signficant damage to roads and bridges (state and local), including Routes 12, 12A, 14, 110 and 113. Several homes and businesses as well as farms suffered tremendous losses to crops and livestock.
Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Irene caused flooding countywide in Orange County VT. Flooding along Wells River was extensive, isolating Wells River Village VT. Flooding along the Waits River caused widespread flooding through Corinth VT and downstream to Bradford VT.
Numerous roads washed out and flooded in Randolph and Randolph Center including Routes 12 and 14. Spotter reported over 6 inches of rainfall in Randolph Center. Other communities affected include Brookfield and Williamstown.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
29,761
Population (ACS)
$271K
Median home value
34
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 8, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL DEPRESSION DEBBY | EM |
| Mar 2, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 14, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jul 10, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | EM |
| Mar 20, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Orange County, Vermont?
215 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $47.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Orange County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 132 recorded events — 61.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Orange County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Orange County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Orange County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Orange County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orange County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Orange County, Vermont 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
- Orleans County 258
- Lamoille County 176
- Rutland County 419
- Grand Isle County 95
- Washington County 332
- Franklin County 260
Cite this page
“Orange County, Vermont.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/vermont/orange-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.