Fairfield County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Fairfield County: 0.
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.

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

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (3).

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. Aug 4, 2020Tropical Storm, Southern Fairfield$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the county. This resulted in numerous power outages. ||Bridgeport's Sikorsky Memorial Airport reported a maximum sustained wind of 43 mph at 406 pm LST and a peak wind gust of 62 mph at 133 pm LST. The Norwalk Light Weatherflow site reported a maximum sustained wind of 52 mph and a peak gust of 70 mph at 125 pm LST. The Bridgeport NOS tide gauge reported a gust of 68 mph at 230 pm LST. ||There was also a confirmed EF-1 tornado in Westport, CT around 1:40 pm, as a waterspout came onshore.||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 Fairfield$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the county. This resulted in numerous power outages. ||Danbury Airport reported a gust of 49 mph at 1244 pm LST.

3. Aug 11, 2000Flash Flood$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A series of thunderstorms developed and dissipated as they moved very slowly over an area covering East Bridgeport and Stratford. Torrential rain caused widespread serious flash flooding of low lying areas, poor drainage areas, and small streams. Rainfall amounts varied from around 4 to up to 7.5 inches. The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) at Bridgeport Sikorsky Airport measured: a Storm Total Precipitation of 4.28 inches and 3.99 inches on August 11th, which broke the old record of 3.44 inches set in 1989. Rainfall amounts in Stratford ranged from around 6.00 inches (reported by a spotter) to 6.30 inches at the Stratford Pumping Station. National Weather Service (NWS)…

4. Sep 1, 2021Flash Flood$5.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain and flash flooding resulted in uninsured damages of $5,112,636 across Fairfield County.

5. Jun 24, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$3.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds in Bridgeport, in addition to the small EF1 Tornado, caused the collapse of 5 complete buildings, including one on Knowlton Street, with damage to 9 other buildings. The winds, estimated at 100 mph also blew a billboard off an apartment building, blew out windows and off bricks from buildings, flipped over a tractor trailer on I-95 between exits 27 and 28, flipped over cars on Route 25 between exits 3 and 4, and tore some siding of off the City Hall Annex. It also tore down radio towers, brought down hundreds of trees, including 2 on a house on Bond Street, and across Route 25 between exits 3 and 4. 57 streets were at least partially closed due to the wind…

6. Jun 24, 2010Tornado$3.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An NWS Storm Survey determined that an EF-1 Tornado, with maximum winds of 110 mph, impacted a small portion of Bridgeport. The survey found many signs of wind rotation in a highly localized area just north of Interstate 95. The area was bounded by the Interstate 95 northbound connector on the west and Pembroke Street on the east. The most severe damage was concentrated along East Main Street between Nichols Street on the south and Cedar Street on the North. In this area, windows were blown in, the facade of a building was stripped off, tree tops were sheared off, and large pieces of metal blown off from surrounding structures were wrapped around a fire hydrant. Eyewitness reports…

7. Mar 30, 2010Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Stamford, many basements were flooded on Cedar Heights Rd. and in the Shippan Point area.

8. Mar 30, 2010Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread basement flooding occurred throughout New Canaan and extending into the Old Bridgeport area. This was exacerbated by storm surge in the Old Bridgeport area, which caused the closing of Sound Beach Ave. between Lincoln Ave. and Vista Avenue. Widespread small stream flooding was also reported in New Canaan.||Total rainfall amounts received across Fairfield County ranged from 3.84 inches at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport to 4.78 inches in Shelton.

9. Oct 11, 2007Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding of many streets and basements occurred in Stamford, Norwalk, and New Canaan. Damage occurred to several hundred homes in the Darien and Stamford areas.||Storm Total Rainfall amounts of 5.40 inches was measured at New Canaan and 5.10 inches at Stamford by the Automated Weather Station.|

10. Jul 12, 2006Tornado$2.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A tornado moved east to northeast into the Kensico Reservoir Region of extreme eastern Westchester County; across Routes 22 and 120 in the North Castle area.As the tornado entered extreme southwest Fairfield County at 4:01 pm EDT, F1 damage was observed in North Greenwich along Cutler and Bedford Roads, where thousands of large trees were uprooted and snapped off. F0 damage was observed along Riversville Road as the tornado moved east. The tornado apparently lifted as it crossed John Street. A brief touch down may have occurred just north of the Merritt Parkway. The maximum path width across this region was about 100 yards.

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

103°F2 times, most recently Jul 22, 2011

All-time low

−7°FJan 22, 1984

Warmest night

80°F2 times, most recently Jul 19, 2013

Coldest day

8°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.18 inJun 19, 1972

Snowiest day

18.5 inFeb 8, 2013

Hottest year

2012mean 55.7°F

Coldest year

1962mean 49.8°F

Wettest year

197273.93 in

Driest year

196423.03 in

Snowiest season

75.7 in1995-96

Station Igor I Sikorsky Mem Airport (USW00094702), 6 ft elevation, 12.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00094702.
• 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.
• 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.