States › New Hampshire › Merrimack County

Merrimack 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.

FIPS 33013 · 155,238 residents (2021) · 933 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 101Tornado · 7Flood · 111Wind · 295Winter · 187

Merrimack County within New Hampshire. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

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.

Merrimack County, New Hampshire, has 774 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 83.0 events per 100 square miles, in line with the New Hampshire figure of 96.7, and 49.9 per 10,000 residents against 62.4 statewide.

29 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 20 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $19M and crop damage at $9.5M.

FEMA has designated the county in 29 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Covid-19 Pandemic (major disaster, 3 Apr 2020).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 299 claims since 1978, of which 232 were paid, totalling $6.3M (about $27K per paid claim). FEMA counts 333 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" ($49M a year across 18 hazards).

42 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 2 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

29events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

774events since 19502 deaths, 20 injuries recorded

29disaster declarationslast 3 Apr 2020

299NFIP flood claims$6.3M paid

Compared with New Hampshire and the United States

Measure	Merrimack County	New Hampshire	US
Recorded events since 1950	774	8,661	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	83.0	96.7	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	49.9	62.4	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	29	298	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	2	42	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$19M	$343M	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	1.9	3.2	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$27K	$20K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	3.0	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

Hail: 2Tornado: 1Wind: 3

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 10

Hail: 2Wind: 15

Hail: 6Tornado: 1Flood: 4Wind: 51Winter: 31Heat: 2Cold: 7Drought: 4Lightning: 8Fog: 1Other: 2

Hail: 42Tornado: 1Flood: 35Wind: 73Winter: 89Cold: 13Drought: 5Lightning: 10Other: 1

Hail: 20Tornado: 2Flood: 47Wind: 98Winter: 43Tropical: 1Other: 1

Hail: 28Flood: 25Wind: 45Winter: 24Tropical: 1Heat: 1Cold: 2Drought: 12Lightning: 2

01950s61960s131970s171980s1171990s2692000s2122010s1402020s

Recorded events in Merrimack County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 447 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 287 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

Wind295

Winter187

Flood111

Hail101

Cold22

Drought21

Lightning20

Tornado7

Other4

Heat3

Tropical2

Fog1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	295	2	9.7%	detail
■ Winter	187	—	7.2%	detail
■ Flood	111	—	10.6%	detail
■ Hail	101	—	10.5%	detail
■ Cold	22	—	7.7%
■ Drought	21	—	7.7%
■ Lightning	20	—	9.6%
■ Tornado	7	—	6.3%
■ Other	4	—	8.2%
■ Heat	3	—	8.8%
■ Tropical	2	—	5.3%
■ Fog	1	—	25.0%

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
7 Mar 1999	Strong Wind	Wind	—	—	—	1	1	Forecast zone
21 Aug 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	1	—	County
12 Jul 1967	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	5	County
15 Aug 1976	Tornado	Tornado	F1	—	—	—	5	County
23 Jul 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	2	County
29 Oct 2012	High Wind	Wind	58 mph	$106K	—	—	1	Forecast zone
6 Mar 1997	High Wind	Wind	69 mph	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
16 Jun 1998	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
1 Apr 2001	Ice Storm	Winter	—	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
28 Aug 2011	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
17 May 2025	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
6 Jun 2025	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
1 Nov 2020	Drought	Drought	—	$20K	$9.0M	—	—	Forecast zone
7 Jan 1998	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$3.7M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Jul 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
20 Oct 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$2.2M	—	—	—	County
25 Feb 2010	Flood	Flood	—	$1.7M	—	—	—	County
11 Dec 2008	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$1.6M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
8 Oct 2005	Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Apr 2007	Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	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
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
2 Jan 2018	DR-4355	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm 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
1 Nov 2011	EM-3344	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storm	Public assistance
3 Sep 2011	DR-4026	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Irene	Public assistance
27 Aug 2011	EM-3333	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
29 Mar 2010	DR-1892	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	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
3 Oct 2008	DR-1799	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
11 Aug 2008	DR-1782	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornado, And Flooding	Public assistance
27 Apr 2007	DR-1695	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
25 May 2006	DR-1643	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, 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
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
11 Mar 2003	EM-3177	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
28 Mar 2001	EM-3166	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
2 Jul 1998	DR-1231	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Jan 1998	DR-1199	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Ice Storm, Rains And High Winds	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Oct 1996	DR-1144	Major disaster	Flood	Fall Northeaster Rainstorm	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
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

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Merrimack County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978299

Paid claims232

Total paid$6.3M

Average paid claim$27K

Repetitive-loss properties382 severe

Residential policies in force3330.8% of 39,725 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2023	1	1	$4,610	$4,610
2022	1	0	$0	—
2021	3	2	$37,885	$18,943
2018	3	1	$58,027	$58,027
2017	2	2	$6,520	$3,260
2016	1	0	$0	—
2015	1	1	$21,781	$21,781
2014	3	0	$0	—
2013	2	1	$10,471	$10,471
2011	6	5	$40,112	$8,022
2010	13	11	$420,573	$38,234
2009	1	0	$0	—
2008	10	7	$594,705	$84,958
2007	75	67	$2,395,369	$35,752
2006	89	79	$2,369,624	$29,995
2005	17	13	$187,749	$14,442
2004	2	2	$5,736	$2,868
2003	2	1	$37,726	$37,726
2001	1	0	$0	—
1999	1	0	$0	—
1998	5	4	$24,986	$6,247
1996	4	3	$20,206	$6,735
1995	1	0	$0	—
1992	1	1	$26,100	$26,100
1988	1	0	$0	—

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

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 78.2 of 100

Expected annual loss$49MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$34,098,161
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$4,498,593
Tornado	Relatively Low	$1,908,557
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$1,543,966
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,418,252
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$1,370,927
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$1,179,370
Ice storm	Relatively High	$1,146,820
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$748,178
Drought	Relatively Low	$329,315
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$268,476
Hail	Relatively Low	$202,124
Wildfire	Very Low	$24,357
Landslide	Relatively Low	$22,620
Avalanche	Very Low	$119

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

Tracks within 100 miles42

Tracks within 50 miles10

Hurricane strength within 50 miles2

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	96 mi	52 mph
Isaias	2020	86 mi	52 mph
Andrea	2013	90 mi	46 mph
Irene	2011	66 mi	58 mph
Hanna	2008	97 mi	52 mph
Barry	2007	76 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	54 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	84 mi	69 mph
Belle	1976	61 mi	40 mph
Doria	1971	35 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1968	57 mi	52 mph
Esther	1961	96 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	96 mi	69 mph
Brenda	1960	23 mi	46 mph
Donna	1960	42 mi	69 mph
Carol	1954	20 mi	92 mph
Able	1952	98 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	54 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	96 mi	75 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1938	72 mi	69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	21 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1924	87 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1923	65 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	40 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	68 mi	52 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

03275 139
03106 23
03234 22
03221 22
03301 16
03303 15
03235 9
03304 8
03263 7
03229 6
03278 5

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 Merrimack County, NH?

NCEI records 101 hail events in Merrimack County since 1950, in 28 different years; that is about 1.3 recorded events a year. 8 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Merrimack County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 7 tornadoes in Merrimack County since 1950, 1 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Merrimack County?

3 Apr 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 29 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Merrimack County, and how much was paid?

299 NFIP claims since 1978, 232 of them paid, for $6.3M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Merrimack 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 "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Merrimack County compare with the rest of New Hampshire?

83.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 96.7 statewide, and 1.9 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.