132
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Orange County, Vermont: 132 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 75. That places the county #1,767 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Orange County, Vermont: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Orange County is the 2010s, when 45 of the county's 132 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 Orange County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 61.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,767 for this hazard and #11 within Vermont, putting it in the 43.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Orange County with 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 1997 | RANDOLPH CENTER | 56 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2026 | BROOKFIELD | 70 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2025 | WILLIAMSTOWN | 50 | $2K |
| Jul 10, 2024 | ORANGE | 50 | $5K |
| Jun 30, 2024 | NEWBURY | 50 | $2K |
| Jun 30, 2024 | WEST TOPSHAM | 50 | $10K |
| Jun 19, 2024 | THETFORD CENTER | 50 | $5K |
| Sep 8, 2023 | RANDOLPH CENTER | 50 | $10K |
| Jul 21, 2023 | RANDOLPH | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2023 | SOUTH TUNBRIDGE | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 13, 2023 | VERSHIRE | 50 | $15K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hundreds of 40-50 foot pines, large mature maples and other trees snapped or uprooted in a northwest to southeast direction along East Hill and Chelsea roads along the Brookfield/Chelsea town line centered off Woods road. More than two dozen utility poles down as well as structural damage to several homes. Microburst and straight-line wind damage with winds estimated 80 to 90 mph was determined by NWS survey.
Scattered, but numerous tree damage in the form of uprooted and snapped trees including 50-75 foot Maples across western Chelsea along Brook, Williamstown and Bobbinshop roads. Some structural damage to a few houses and destroyed newly constructed sugar house and damaged sugaring equipment.
Severe thunderstorms moved across central Vermont during the afternoon hours of June 27th resulting in numerous large trees being downed, snapped and uprooted in Randolph and East Braintree. Hail up to golf ball-size was reported in the Randolph area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Orange County, Vermont?
132 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Orange County between 1960 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Orange County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Orange County measured 75.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Orange 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 Orange County, Vermont.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/vermont/orange-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.