Waterbury

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for New Haven County, the county that contains Waterbury.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in New Haven County, the county that contains Waterbury.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Tide gauges in New Haven County.

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for New Haven County, the county that contains Waterbury.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

Tsunami records for New Haven County.

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 4, 2020Tropical Storm, Southern New Haven$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the county. This resulted in numerous power outages. ||Tweed New Haven Airport reported a gust of 56 mph at 253 pm LST. Lighthouse Point reported a maximum sustained wind of 48 mph at 218 pm LST and a peak gust of 66 mph at 228 pm LST. ||There were no reports of coastal flooding as the highest storm surge did not coincide with high tide and was during a period of low astronomical tides.

2. Aug 4, 2020Tropical Storm, Northern New Haven$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Naugatuck, New Haven, one man died after being struck by a falling tree while trying to move branches in front of his car on Andrew Mountain Road around 230 pm LST.||Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the county. This resulted in numerous power outages. ||The Waterbury-Oxford Airport reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph at 158 LST and the Meriden Markham Municipal Airport reported a peak gust of 54 mph at 256 pm LST.

3. Feb 1, 2011Ice Storm, Southern New Haven$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A manufacturing building on Woodmont Road in Milford was destroyed Wednesday morning around 1105 am, when wooden support trusses under the flat roof failed under the weight of heavy snow and ice.

4. Jul 3, 1996Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A team of National Weather Service Meteorologists confirmed that an F1 tornado occurred.A small area of strong thunderstorms moved through the area and the first serious damage occurred north and west of Montoe Park, just to the north of downtown Waterbury. Indications of a weak F0 tornado were displayed in this area of about 0.1 miles long and 33 yards wide. Many trees in the area were also blown down by straight line winds , but again indications of some rotation in the treetops were evident throughout this region.The storm moved northeast, with tree damage in a several block-wide area. Touchdown occurred again at the Wilby High School, where an F1 tornado touched down with a…

5. Apr 16, 1996Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   As a low pressure system over the midwest on Monday April 15th, moved northeast, its' associated warm and cold fronts moved across the area during the evening of Tuesday, April 16th.With abundant moisture and unstable air in place, heavy rain and southeast winds gusting over 34 knots preceded the frontal passages.In New Haven County, 12 hour rainfall amounts ranged from 2.83 inches at Oxford to 6.10 inches at East Haven. The following events occurred:o Moderate flooding occurred on the Wepawaug River in Milford CT, on the Quinnipiac River in Southington and Wallingford CT, on the Farm River in East Haven and North Branford CT, on the Muddy River in the Spring Lake area, and on…

6. Feb 1, 2011Winter Storm, Northern New Haven$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Cheshire, the 174 East Johnson Street Church roof collapsed Wednesday February 2nd, causing a back wall to cave in and two other walls to bulge out. In addition, a partial collapse to a roof of a building at 1701 Highland Ave. and the rear of a 136 yr. old George Keeler Stove Shop at 166 S. Main Street occurred Wednesday morning.||A building at 505 Main St. in Middletown collapsed on the morning of February 2nd after the roof and 3rd floor caved in due the excessive weight of snow and ice.||A storage barn at 91 Library Road in Southbury came crashing down early Wednesday afternoon under the weight of snow and ice.

7. Jul 8, 2011Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Seymour, several motorists were rescued from their vehicles on the Rt. 8 bridge between exits 22 and 23. Firefighters also rescued motorists in the Pearl St. area. The bridge on North St. between Smith St. and Beach St. was closed after becoming compromised by raging waters in the Bladens River below. Many basements were flooded throughout town. Several road washouts occurred including Rt. 67 between East St. and Park Rd. and on portions of Pearl, Beach and School Streets after flood waters as deep as two ft. swept over the streets. A retaining wall in front of Walgreens on Rt. 67, between Martha St. and Old Dr., partially collapsed from the flood waters. The Seymour Land Trust…

8. May 27, 2008Flash Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A newly renovated Burger King was flooded on Thomaston Avenue in Waterbury causing $600,000 in property damage.

9. Sep 30, 2010Strong Wind, Northern New Haven$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds downed a tree that fell on wires on Sudbury Street at 8:30 pm. In addition, a tree fell on an unoccupied car near 213 Walnut street around 7 pm. Several additional trees were downed across the city of Waterbury. A tree was blown over due to strong winds. The tree fell onto a house at 62 Cedar Lane in Beacon Falls.

10. Aug 27, 2020Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    EF1 Tornado staring in Bethany, CT and ending in North Haven, CT. Maximum path width of 500 yards and a path length of 11.1 miles.||Based on a National Weather Service damage survey done in |conjunction with CT Division of Emergency Management and Homeland |Security and local CT town emergency managements, it has been |determined that a strong EF1 tornado, with maximum wind speed of |110 mph, tracked southeast from Bethany to North Haven CT. ||The tornado first touched down in a forested area to the |southeast of Judd Hill Rd in Bethany CT. The tornado tracked |southeast over primarily forested areas from Amity Rd, to Munson |Rd towards Litchfield Tpke, creating a path of damage…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

101°FJul 3, 2026

All-time low

−25°FFeb 14, 2016

Warmest night

77°F4 times, most recently Jul 15, 2026

Coldest day

−4°FDec 26, 1980

Wettest day

12.77 inAug 19, 1955

Snowiest day

26.0 inFeb 9, 2013

Hottest year

2023mean 54.5°F

Coldest year

1962mean 44.6°F

Wettest year

201179.01 in

Driest year

196531.36 in

Snowiest season

87.0 in1966-67

Station Burlington (USC00060973), 505 ft elevation, 17.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1961 to October 6, 2026; 94.5% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for New Haven County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00060973.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.