County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Essex County, Vermont Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 501 storm events on record for Essex County, Vermont, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a strong wind event on 17 Mar 2026.

FEMA has 30 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4826 of 26 Sep 2024.

OpenFEMA has 13 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $350 thousand on these claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Essex County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Essex County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail13432
Tornado3010
Flood28688
Wind128304220
Winter2881325851
Other event types41Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events50119411791

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 366 of the 501 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Essex County beside the total of the counties of Vermont and of the United States
MeasureEssexAll counties of VermontAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 202675.686.549.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026no figure123.652.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025no figure373.9185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Strong Wind49 mph (43 knots, measured gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

On record for the forecast zone

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

High Wind58 mph (50 knots, measured gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Flash Flood

1 mile ESE of EAST HAVEN. Damage estimate: $125 thousand

Heat

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Strong Wind49 mph (43 knots, measured gust)

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Essex County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s00000000000
1960s00000001001
1970s00000000000
1980s00100111149
1990s4302801522191689
2000s2122201482622292111194
2010s82281071110161411117
2020s912161219158 (part of the year)91

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 30 disaster declarations on record for Essex County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4826: SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES.

Disaster declarations that name Essex County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
DR-4826Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESIndividual, Public
DR-4810Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESIndividual, Public
EM-3609EmergencyTropical StormTROPICAL DEPRESSION DEBBYPublic
DR-4770Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4762Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORM AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4720Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
EM-3595EmergencyFloodFLOODINGPublic
DR-4695Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORM AND FLOODINGPublic
EM-3567EmergencyHurricaneTROPICAL STORM HENRIPublic
DR-4532Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3437EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-4474Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORM AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4445Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4356Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORM AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4207Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4178Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4163Major disasterSevere Ice StormSEVERE WINTER STORMSPublic
DR-4120Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4022Major disasterHurricaneTROPICAL STORM IRENEPublic
EM-3338EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE IRENEPublic
DR-4001Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1995Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-1790Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1698Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1428Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1307Major disasterSevere StormTROPICAL STORM FLOYDPublic
DR-1228Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-1063Major disasterSevere StormEXCESSIVE RAINFALL, FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-840Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGPublic
DR-397Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, & LANDSLIDESIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Vermont page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 13 NFIP claims on record for Essex County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $349,645 on 8 claims.

FEMA counts 17 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The site gives a rate for each 1,000 policies only from 100 policies, because one claim changes a smaller rate too much.

NFIP claims in Essex County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s000
1980s03000001004
1990s00000010203
2000s00000000000
2010s06000000006
2020s0000000 (part of the year)0

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 5 years
NFIP claims in Essex County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20116not shownnot shown
19982not shownnot shown
19961not shownnot shown
19871not shownnot shown
19813not shownnot shown

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Very Low
Risk Index score
3.2 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Very Low
Expected Annual Loss
$3.2 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Very Low
Community Resilience rating
Relatively Low
National Risk Index of Essex County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
AvalancheVery Low$458
Cold waveRelatively Low$383,470
EarthquakeVery Low$43,847
HailVery Low$2,665
Heat waveVery Low$33,220
HurricaneVery Low$171,522
Ice stormVery Low$20,770
Inland floodingVery Low$2,322,104
LandslideVery Low$3,443
LightningVery Low$44,186
Strong windVery Low$39,418
TornadoVery Low$23,032
WildfireVery Low$1,612
Winter weatherRelatively Low$65,600

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 21 tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 21 tracks
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Essex County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Isaias202084 miles52 mph
Irene201140 miles52 mph
David197987 miles52 mph
Doria197164 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm196857 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm196191 miles69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm194974 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm193476 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm192944 miles58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm192316 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191663 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm190895 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189964 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189699 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189475 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189359 miles63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189359 miles58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm187490 miles69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm186999 miles92 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm186664 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm186199 miles58 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Essex County

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Beecher Falls
  • Bloomfield
  • Brighton
  • Brunswick
  • Canaan
  • Concord
  • East Haven
  • Gilman
  • Granby
  • Guildhall
  • Island Pond
  • Lemington
  • Lunenburg
  • Maidstone
  • Norton
  • Victory

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Essex County, Vermont: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/vt/essex/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Essex County?
NCEI has 3 tornado events on record for Essex County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. No event has a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Essex County?
NCEI has 13 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 1 event has a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Essex County?
January has 91 of the 501 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Essex County?
FEMA counts 17 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The site gives a rate for each 1,000 policies only from 100 policies, because one claim changes a smaller rate too much.