Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut Hurricane History

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

Since 1861, 20 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut — about one every 8.2 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Henri (2021), which passed 5 miles away on 23 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

8.2

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 · 2TS / TD · 17

The 20 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentHenri (2021) — 5 mi away, 23 August 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1938) — 100 kt (115 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordHenri (2021) — 5.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1938) — 16.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles11 of 20
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (50% of all)
Most active year1893 — 2 storms
Most active decade1960s and 1990s — 3 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1861–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 20 recorded storms (50%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 100% of all activity. The 1960s and 1990s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 3 storms. 1 of the 20 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	8	10	0	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 7 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	2020s
2	1	1	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	3	2	1	3	0	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Henri (2021)	23 Aug 2021	5.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Irene (2011)	28 Aug 2011	14.6 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Floyd (1999)	17 Sep 1999	38.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Bertha (1996)	13 Jul 1996	35.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Beryl (1994)	18 Aug 1994	8.7 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Gloria (1985)	27 Sep 1985	21.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Belle (1976)	10 Aug 1976	22.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Doria (1971)	28 Aug 1971	16.7 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	11 Sep 1968	17.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	46.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	30.3 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Able (1952)	1 Sep 1952	7.9 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	21 Sep 1938	16.5 mi	Cat 2	87 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	9 Sep 1934	36.4 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	29 Aug 1893	26.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	24 Aug 1893	11.8 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	27.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	30 Sep 1874	28.7 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	19 Sep 1863	17.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	28 Sep 1861	26.7 mi	TS / TD	52 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 9 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
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	11 Jul 2020	48.7 mi	29 kt
Florence (2018)	Post-tropical	18 Sep 2018	24.2 mi	25 kt
Chris (1988)	Post-tropical	30 Aug 1988	22.4 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 1945	15.5 mi	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	12.4 mi	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	5 Aug 1915	18.7 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	Post-tropical	14 Oct 1900	34.7 mi	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	Post-tropical	1 Nov 1899	42.2 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 Northwest Hills 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, Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut ranks #780 — more exposed than 64.7% of them. Within Connecticut it ranks #9 of 9, against a state average of 27.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1938) passed 16 miles away on 21 September 1938 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gloria (1985) passed 22 miles away on 27 September 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 12 miles away on 24 August 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Bertha (1996) passed 36 miles away on 13 July 1996 as a tropical storm, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.

18 of the 20 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 8.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 20 storms spread over the 165 years from 1861 to 2025. 1 separate year saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 41 years, between 1893 and 1934. It has been 4 years since the last one; 12 of the 18 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut at hurricane strength since 1861. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 20.

When was the last hurricane in Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut?

Gloria (1985), on 27 September 1985, passing 22 miles away — 41 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Henri (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut?

Unnamed Storm (1938), which reached 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 16 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 8.2 years — 20 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

Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut has 28 on record.

Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut28 storms within 50 mi Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut25 storms within 50 mi Dutchess County, New York19 storms within 50 mi Columbia County, New York15 storms within 50 mi