Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1861, 25 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut — about one every 6.6 years. Of those, 5 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Irene (2011), which passed 25 miles away on 28 August 2011.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.6

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 3 · 1Cat 1 · 4TS / TD · 20

The 25 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentIrene (2011) — 25 mi away, 28 August 2011
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1938) — 100 kt (115 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1861) — 3.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1938) — 18.0 miles
Passes within 25 miles14 of 25
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (56% of all)
Most active year1893 — 2 storms
Most active decade1890s and 1960s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1861–2011

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 25 recorded storms (56%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 92% of all activity. The 1890s and 1960s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 1 of the 25 storms was major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	14	2	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2010s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 8 storms in 1950–1987 against 5 in 1988–2025.

1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s
2	2	2	4	0	0	0	2	0	1	4	2	1	3	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Irene (2011)	28 Aug 2011	24.6 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Hanna (2008)	7 Sep 2008	29.3 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Floyd (1999)	17 Sep 1999	18.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Bertha (1996)	13 Jul 1996	17.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Beryl (1994)	18 Aug 1994	17.5 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Gloria (1985)	27 Sep 1985	18.7 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Belle (1976)	10 Aug 1976	8.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Doria (1971)	28 Aug 1971	17.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	11 Sep 1968	4.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	25.2 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Donna (1960)	12 Sep 1960	38.7 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	13.1 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Able (1952)	1 Sep 1952	30.3 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	21 Sep 1938	18.0 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	9 Sep 1934	20.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	24 Sep 1897	47.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	38.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	29 Aug 1893	45.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	24 Aug 1893	26.8 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	14.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	24 Sep 1882	47.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	30 Sep 1874	8.1 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	26 Oct 1872	27.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	19 Sep 1863	39.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	28 Sep 1861	3.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 11 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here. Showing the 8 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Henri (2021)	Remnant low	23 Aug 2021	6.0 mi	22 kt
Florence (2018)	Post-tropical	18 Sep 2018	48.3 mi	25 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	20 Sep 2000	42.0 mi	25 kt
Chris (1988)	Post-tropical	30 Aug 1988	7.0 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 1945	12.2 mi	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	23.3 mi	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	Post-tropical	17 May 1916	45.3 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	5 Aug 1915	5.6 mi	45 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1861–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut ranks #632 — more exposed than 71.4% of them. Within Connecticut it ranks #8 of 9, against a state average of 27.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1938) passed 18 miles away on 21 September 1938 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Donna (1960) passed 39 miles away on 12 September 1960 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gloria (1985) passed 19 miles away on 27 September 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 27 miles away on 24 August 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.

23 of the 25 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 25 storms spread over the 165 years from 1861 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 37 years, between 1897 and 1934. It has been 14 years since the last one; 1 of the 22 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?

5 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut at hurricane strength since 1861. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 25.

When was the last hurricane in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?

Gloria (1985), on 27 September 1985, passing 19 miles away — 41 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Irene (2011) in 2011.

What was the strongest storm to affect Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?

Unnamed Storm (1938), which reached 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 18 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.6 years — 25 storms over the 165 years from 1861 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut has 31 on record.

Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut31 storms within 50 mi South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut31 storms within 50 mi Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut29 storms within 50 mi Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut26 storms within 50 mi Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut20 storms within 50 mi