NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Houlton, ME
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Houlton, Maine since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Bertha in 1996. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 3
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Houlton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | BerthaJul 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 20 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 7 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | CarrieSep 4 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 10 | 50 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 31 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 12 | 71 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 5 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 22 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 31 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 33 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 2 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 27 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 23 | 65 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 23 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 5 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 9 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Houlton: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Houlton
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2002 | F1 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2001 | F1 | 9 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 26, 2014 | EF0 | 6 mi | 0.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Houlton while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.