States › Massachusetts › 1972
Massachusetts, 1972
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1972 was 21 against 22 in 1971.
Counties with the most recorded events
| County | Events in 1972 |
|---|---|
| Hampden County | 4 |
| Essex County | 3 |
| Franklin County | 3 |
| Berkshire County | 2 |
| Middlesex County | 2 |
| Plymouth County | 2 |
| Worcester County | 2 |
| Bristol County | 1 |
| Hampshire County | 1 |
| Norfolk County | 1 |
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1972 | Norfolk | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | 1 | 6 |
| 21 Jul 1972 | Middlesex | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 4 |
| 9 Aug 1972 | Worcester | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | 1 |
| 27 Aug 1972 | Franklin | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 3 Jul 1972 | Franklin | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 3 Jul 1972 | Franklin | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 21 Jul 1972 | Essex | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 9 Aug 1972 | Hampden | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 14 Sep 1972 | Hampden | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 14 Sep 1972 | Bristol | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1972
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 1972 | DR-357 | Major disaster | Fishing Losses | Toxic Algae In Coastal Waters | 8 |
| 6 Mar 1972 | DR-325 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | 4 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1972 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Massachusetts carry a 1972 date of loss. The NFIP claims file begins with 1978 losses.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.