States › New Hampshire › Cheshire County
Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Cheshire County, New Hampshire, has 779 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.
That is 110.2 events per 100 square miles, in line with the New Hampshire figure of 96.7, and 100.7 per 10,000 residents against 62.4 statewide.
23 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 3 deaths and 23 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $35M and crop damage at $500K.
FEMA has designated the county in 33 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms And Flooding (major disaster, 14 Sep 2023).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 247 claims since 1978, of which 169 were paid, totalling $6.7M (about $40K per paid claim). FEMA counts 227 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($27M a year across 18 hazards).
45 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.
Compared with New Hampshire and the United States
| Measure | Cheshire County | New Hampshire | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 779 | 8,661 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 110.2 | 96.7 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 100.7 | 62.4 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 23 | 298 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 3 | 42 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $35M | $343M | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 3.2 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $40K | $20K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 8.8 | 15.3 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 542 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 196 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Oct 2005 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $10M | — | 2 | — | County |
| 27 Dec 2007 | Winter Weather | Winter | — | $30K | — | 1 | 3 | Forecast zone |
| 16 Aug 2003 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 12 | County |
| 16 Jul 2010 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 2 | County |
| 3 Jul 1997 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $500K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 10 Aug 2003 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $500K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 17 May 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 7 Jul 1997 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 19 Jul 2010 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 7 Jul 2015 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 11 Dec 2008 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $9.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 6 Aug 2003 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $3.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 29 May 2012 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $3.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jan 1998 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $1.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Jul 2021 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $617K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Oct 2020 | Drought | Drought | — | $100K | $500K | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Dec 1996 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $500K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Mar 2001 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $500K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Jul 2021 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $300K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Aug 1963 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 2023 | DR-4740 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 4 Oct 2021 | DR-4624 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storm And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 30 Sep 2021 | DR-4622 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storm And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 3 Apr 2020 | DR-4516 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3445 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 21 Apr 2016 | FM-5123 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Stoddard Fire | Public assistance |
| 2 Aug 2013 | DR-4139 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 19 Mar 2013 | DR-4105 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Public assistance |
| 30 Oct 2012 | EM-3360 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | Public assistance |
| 15 Jun 2012 | DR-4065 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storm And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 1 Nov 2011 | EM-3344 | Emergency | Severe Storm | Severe Storm | Public assistance |
| 27 Aug 2011 | EM-3333 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene | Public assistance |
| 2 Jan 2009 | DR-1812 | Major disaster | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 13 Dec 2008 | EM-3297 | Emergency | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 27 Apr 2007 | DR-1695 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 26 Oct 2005 | DR-1610 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 19 Sep 2005 | EM-3258 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 28 Apr 2005 | EM-3211 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 30 Mar 2005 | EM-3208 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 30 Mar 2005 | EM-3207 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Record And/Or Near Record Snow | Public assistance |
| 15 Jan 2004 | EM-3193 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 12 Sep 2003 | DR-1489 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 11 Mar 2003 | EM-3177 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 28 Mar 2001 | EM-3166 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 18 Oct 1999 | DR-1305 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Floyd | Public assistance |
| 15 Jan 1998 | DR-1199 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storm, Rains And High Winds | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 3 Jan 1996 | DR-1077 | Major disaster | Flood | Excessive Rainfall, High Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 16 Mar 1993 | EM-3101 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Blizzards, High Winds & Record Snowfall | Public assistance |
| 29 Aug 1990 | DR-876 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Public assistance |
| 16 Apr 1987 | DR-789 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 27 Aug 1986 | DR-771 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding | Public assistance |
| 21 Jan 1974 | DR-411 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 11 Jul 1973 | DR-399 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | 2 | $122,492 | $61,246 |
| 2021 | 12 | 7 | $292,743 | $41,820 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | $7,854 | $3,927 |
| 2014 | 3 | 2 | $10,242 | $5,121 |
| 2013 | 6 | 4 | $46,948 | $11,737 |
| 2012 | 35 | 31 | $1,692,595 | $54,600 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | $29,419 | $9,806 |
| 2010 | 3 | 2 | $68,601 | $34,301 |
| 2005 | 80 | 62 | $4,095,291 | $66,053 |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | $3,379 | $3,379 |
| 2000 | 3 | 1 | $1,377 | $1,377 |
| 1996 | 1 | 1 | $13,079 | $13,079 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 | $25,313 | $25,313 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1993 | 1 | 1 | $424 | $424 |
| 1989 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1987 | 11 | 5 | $37,066 | $7,413 |
| 1986 | 1 | 1 | $3,623 | $3,623 |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1984 | 61 | 40 | $227,038 | $5,676 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1981 | 4 | 2 | $1,919 | $959 |
| 1979 | 6 | 1 | $10,157 | $10,157 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $20,318,948 | |
| Hurricane | $1,457,430 | |
| Cold wave | $1,276,772 | |
| Tornado | $1,266,131 | |
| Lightning | $860,645 | |
| Earthquake | $521,910 | |
| Heat wave | $512,895 | |
| Ice storm | $438,031 | |
| Strong wind | $369,558 | |
| Hail | $152,372 | |
| Winter weather | $83,389 | |
| Landslide | $19,046 | |
| Wildfire | $12,935 | |
| Avalanche | $246 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elsa | 2021 | 90 mi | 52 mph |
| Henri | 2021 | 99 mi | 46 mph |
| Isaias | 2020 | 86 mi | 52 mph |
| Irene | 2011 | 52 mi | 58 mph |
| Hanna | 2008 | 76 mi | 52 mph |
| Barry | 2007 | 82 mi | 40 mph |
| Floyd | 1999 | 58 mi | 58 mph |
| Bertha | 1996 | 60 mi | 69 mph |
| Gloria | 1985 | 76 mi | 86 mph |
| David | 1979 | 78 mi | 46 mph |
| Belle | 1976 | 24 mi | 40 mph |
| Doria | 1971 | 64 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1968 | 74 mi | 52 mph |
| Brenda | 1960 | 38 mi | 46 mph |
| Donna | 1960 | 54 mi | 69 mph |
| Carol | 1954 | 45 mi | 92 mph |
| Able | 1952 | 60 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1949 | 62 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1944 | 90 mi | 75 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1938 | 54 mi | 69 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1934 | 28 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1929 | 100 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1924 | 48 mi | 63 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1923 | 70 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1916 | 63 mi | 58 mph |
HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.
ZIP codes with flood claims
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Cheshire County, NH?
NCEI records 104 hail events in Cheshire County since 1950, in 27 different years; that is about 1.4 recorded events a year. 14 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Cheshire County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 18 tornadoes in Cheshire County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Cheshire County?
14 Sep 2023: Severe Storms And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for flood. The county appears in 33 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Cheshire County, and how much was paid?
247 NFIP claims since 1978, 169 of them paid, for $6.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Cheshire County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Cheshire County compare with the rest of New Hampshire?
110.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 96.7 statewide, and 3.2 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 3.2. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 29 Sep 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.