Lawrence

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 Essex County, the county that contains Lawrence.

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 Essex County, the county that contains Lawrence.

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.

The drought index is for Essex County, the county that contains Lawrence.

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.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Essex County.

Mapped by NASA (2).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 22, 2001Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flooding occurred on rivers and streams in eastern Massachusetts as a result of melting snow and heavy rainfall. The most severe flooding occurred in the Merrimack Valley, where flood damage was estimated at ten million dollars. Federal assistance was made available for residents of Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth Counties.Record flooding occurred on the Aberjona River in Winchester, where the crest of 16.80 feet exceeded the crest of 16.78 feet which occurred on October 21, 1996. This was the worst flooding to strike the Merrimack Valley since the October, 1996 flood and was comparable in magnitude. In the Charles and Neponset basins, flooding…

2. Mar 14, 2010Flood$9.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several small streams rose above flood stage across Essex County, including the Ipswich River at Ipswich and South Middleton, the Shawsheen River at Andover, and the Parker River at Byfield. This river flooding, coupled with heavy rain and poor drainage flooding, resulted in a federal disaster declaration for seven counties in Massachusetts, including Essex County. ||Numerous streets were closed and basements flooded in Peabody, Salem, Newbury, Haverhill, Topsfield, Andover, Gloucester, Newburyport, Byfield, Middleton, and Rowley, including Route 128 S in Peabody and Route 1 in Topsfield. Portions of Merrimack College in Andover were flooded, submerging trees downed by the wind.…

3. May 13, 2006Flood$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall, most of it falling over a 100 hour period, caused widespread flooding across much of eastern Massachusetts of small streams and main stem rivers. Major flooding of a number of small streams and main stem rivers occurred in Essex County of Massachusetts. The Governor of Massachusetts declared a State of Emergency for a time during this event, and the President declared major disaster status for those affected in Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts. At some locations, this was the worst flooding recorded since the 1938 Hurricane and the great rain/snowmelt floods in March 1936.The focus of heavy rain shifted to eastern Massachusetts late Friday…

4. Feb 9, 2013Coastal Flood, Eastern Essex$5.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Salisbury, coastal flooding resulted in structural damage to the ocean side of a building on North End Boulevard. This road was flooded from #170 to #250 resulting in the mandatory evacuation of about 50 houses. A barrier beach was breached and significant beach erosion occurred, damaging dunes and sand fencing. The south end of Atlantic Avenue was impassable with water flowing around and under buildings. In Gloucester, Atlantic Road was flooded and impassable. The Good Harbor Beach walkway bridge was damaged. Significant beach erosion occurred, damaging dunes. The Lane's Cove breakwater was damaged near Dudley Street. In Marblehead, the Marblehead Causeway (Ocean Avenue) and…

5. Mar 30, 2010Flood$3.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three to seven inches of rain fell across Essex County resulting in several rivers going into minor flood, including the Spicket River at Methuen and the Merrimack River at Lawrence and at Haverhill. In addition, several small streams rose above flood stage across Essex County, including the Parker River at Byfield and the Ipswich River at Ipswich and South Middleton.||Several streets were closed due to flooding in Peabody, Methuen, Andover, Danvers, Saugus, Gloucester, and Topsfield. Many basements were also flooded. The Mayor of Gloucester reported water pouring in the windows of the police station, as well as water coming into City Hall, some of the schools, and the Rose Baker…

6. Apr 1, 1997Heavy Snow, Western Essex$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A low pressure system which formed off the New Jersey coast during the early morning hours of March 31st intensified rapidly as it moved to a position 60 miles south of Newport, Rhode Island. This system retreated to the south during the early morning hours of April 1st, pulling in cold air from the north. The center then moved slowly eastward. Heavy snow and strong winds produced blizzard or near-blizzard conditions across most of Massachusetts, with the exception of the Islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Northeast winds gusting to 30 to 50 mph were reported. Snowfall totals of 20 to 30 inches were common from a Plymouth to Taunton line northwestward to the Berkshires.…

7. Oct 4, 2011Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous streets were closed due to flooding. Approximately 500 houses experienced some sort of flooding, 100 of these houses had to have the electricity cut off to prevent further problems related to basement flooding. Water levels in houses were reported to be between 4 and 9 feet deep. Six houses on Elmwood Road had at least 8 feet of water on the 1st floor. On Paradise Road between the 300 block and 1000 block, 90 percent of the businesses had water damage. Orchard, Bradley, and Elmwood Roads, Humphrey, Burrill, New Ocean, and Columbia Streets, Shepard and Atlantic Avenues, and Sculpin Way were still closed around 2pm because of flooding, several hours after rain had stopped.…

8. Oct 4, 2011Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous streets were closed due to flooding. In addition, numerous vehicles were reported stuck in water on roads throughout Peabody; occupants had to be rescued and vehicles towed. Parts of Route 128 were impassable due to flooding. The Peabody police station was flooded, damaging training rooms, telephones, three police cruisers, and two motorcycles. Several houses were flooded near the intersection of Washington and Granite Streets. The Lahey Clinic was flooded with 4 to 6 feet of water in the basement and several inches of water in the 1st floor hallways. The fire chief estimated that at least 100 houses and 40 businesses were damaged. In addition, at least 100 basements…

9. Dec 11, 2008Ice Storm, Western Essex$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Half an inch of ice accumulated on exposed surfaces across interior Essex County. Trees, large limbs, and wires down in Haverhill, Andover, Groveland, Methuen, Merrimack, West Newbury, and North Andover. In Groveland, a windshield was destroyed by falling ice.

10. Aug 28, 2011Tropical Storm, Eastern Essex$1.6 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous trees were downed throughout eastern Essex county, including in Danvers (Maple Street), Peabody (Martinack and Roosevelt Avenues and Crowninshield and Winona Streets), Salem (Boston and North Streets), Lynn (Jackson, West Sigourney, and Empire Streets, Greenwood Avenue, Lynn Common, and Bonavesta Terrace), Marblehead (Lafayette Street), Ipswich (Linebrook Road), and Nahant (Little Nahant Road). ||Some of these trees were downed onto houses, others onto power lines and wires, and still others onto cars. In addition, traffic lights on North Street in Salem were downed by strong winds.||The Automated Surface Observing System at Beverly Municipal Airport (KBVY) recorded…

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

106°FJul 4, 1911

All-time low

−25°FFeb 16, 1943

Warmest night

82°FJun 21, 2024

Coldest day

−3°FFeb 9, 1934

Wettest day

6.96 inSep 11, 1954

Snowiest day

31.0 inFeb 7, 1978

Hottest year

2012mean 54.2°F

Coldest year

1904mean 44.5°F

Wettest year

198361.88 in

Driest year

193019.05 in

Snowiest season

96.0 in1977-78

Station Lawrence (USC00194105), 50 ft elevation, 0.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 23, 2026; 93.3% 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 Essex 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 USC00194105.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.