Nantucket County

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 7, 1996Heavy Snow, Nantucket$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense East Coast low pressure system moved northeast from eastern Georgia passing along the coast of the Carolinas and then close to 40 degrees North and 70 degrees West. This storm was one of the most significant winter storms to hit southern New England in the past 20 years and was named "The Blizzard of '96" as it dumped record snowfalls from the mid-Atlantic states to southern New England. Technically, this storm only reached a true blizzard by National Weather Service criteria for a few hours in a small section of eastern Massachusetts around South Weymouth during the early morning hours on January 8th. Very heavy snowfall, which was measured in feet, was the main effect…

2. Oct 29, 2012Coastal Flood, Nantucket$139,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Broadway and streets east were impassable. Stairs, ramps, piers, and docks were damaged at the harbor marina. There was also structural damage to the bulkhead. Straight Wharf was flooded.

3. Jan 23, 2005Storm Surge/Tide, Nantucket$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm brought heavy snow, high winds, and coastal flooding to southern New England. In Massachusetts, blizzard conditions were reported on Nantucket during the height of the storm, and this was the first blizzard to affect the Bay State since the April Fools storm of 1997. Near blizzard conditions were reported elsewhere as the storm dumped 1 to 3 feet of snow and produced wind gusts as high as 65 mph near the coast.The highest snowfall totals of 2 to 3 feet were reported in eastern Massachusetts, especially along the coast from Boston to Cape Cod. Official snowfall totals included 24.1 inches at Worcester Airport, which was a top 5 snowstorm for Worcester since…

4. Feb 9, 2013Coastal Flood, Nantucket$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Easy and Washington Streets were flooded up to three feet deep. Water up to two feet deep came up to a couple of houses on Beach Street. Wauwinet Road near Eat Fire Springs Road flooded. Water was as far up as the Nantucket Hotel on Easton Street in the Brant Point area. Main Street was flooded up to the Club Car Restaurant. Significant beach erosion occurred, damaging sand fencing.

5. Dec 9, 2005High Wind, Nantucket$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A low pressure system centered near the Delaware coast intensified rapidly as it tracked quickly northeast across southern New England, producing near-blizzard conditions across Massachusetts around mid afternoon. Damaging winds, whiteout conditions, and approximately one hour of thunder snow occurred across most of the region. In addition, snowfall amounts ranged from around 2 inches across south coastal locations, to as much as 16 inches across northeast and north central Massachusetts. The combination of high winds and snow caused approximately 150,000 electric customers to lose power.Damaging wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph were common across Cape Cod and the rest of…

6. Mar 8, 2005High Wind, Nantucket$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure strengthened rapidly off the Delaware coast and tracked southeast of New England, bringing heavy snow to much of interior Massachusetts where snowfall totals of 4 to 8 inches were widely observed. Closer to the coast, rain changed to ice and snow but accumulations were limited to between 2 and 5 inches. High winds, gusting to over 60 mph during the height of the storm, brought down trees, large limbs, and wires from the Interstate 95 corridor to Cape Cod and the Islands.The snow and wind made travel difficult, and Logan International Airport was shut down for several hours, stranding hundreds of travelers. No major accidents were reported on the roadways, but there…

7. Sep 21, 2017Tropical Storm, Nantucket$70,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   At 400 AM EST on Sept 21, the general public reported trees down at Smith's Point, Eel Point, and West Miacomet Road. At 1208 PM EST on Sept 21 the Automated Surface Observation System platform at Nantucket Airport recorded a sustained wind of 41 mph. At 304 PM EST on Sept 21 an amateur radio operator reported a wind gust to 60 mph at Brant Point. At 218 AM EST, an amateur radio operator reported a wind gust to 62 mph. At 300 AM EST on Sept 22, four International One Design sailboats were reported sunk overnight in Nantucket Harbor due to heavy rainfall. Numerous other boats were washed ashore overnight due to combined wind and high surf.

8. Dec 9, 2005High Wind, Nantucket$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A low pressure system centered near the Delaware coast intensified rapidly as it tracked quickly northeast across southern New England, producing near-blizzard conditions across Massachusetts around mid afternoon. Damaging winds, whiteout conditions, and approximately one hour of thunder snow occurred across most of the region. In addition, snowfall amounts ranged from around 2 inches across south coastal locations, to as much as 16 inches across northeast and north central Massachusetts. The combination of high winds and snow caused approximately 150,000 electric customers to lose power.Damaging wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph were common across Cape Cod and the rest of…

9. Nov 13, 2003High Wind, Nantucket$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure moving through the St. Lawrence valley brought high winds to much of southern New England. In Massachusetts, peak wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph brought down trees and power lines over much of the state, and disrupted electric service to about 12,000 customers. The hardest hit area was in Western Massachusetts, where power was not restored for two days.

10. Jan 27, 2015Coastal Flood, Nantucket$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Moderate to major coastal flooding occurred on Nantucket, particularly on north and northeastern facing beaches, where north-northeasterly winds pushed water farther up on shore at high tide. Francis Street at Union Street, Washington Street from Commercial Street and Easy Street, Broad Street from Easy Street to South Water Street, and South Beach Street were closed due to flooding. Parts of Brant Point were also flooded with ocean water. Three and a half feet of ocean water flooded the downtown section of Nantucket. The town pier, weakened by storms during the previous two years, was severely damaged.

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

100°FAug 2, 1975

All-time low

−3°F3 times, most recently Feb 4, 2023

Warmest night

77°F2 times, most recently Aug 9, 2022

Coldest day

12°FJan 8, 1968

Wettest day

6.48 inMay 25, 1967

Snowiest day

15.5 inDec 12, 1960

Hottest year

2022mean 54.8°F

Coldest year

1967mean 47.7°F

Wettest year

195860.39 in

Driest year

202518.26 in

Station Nantucket Mem Airport (USW00014756), 37 ft elevation, 1.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 94.3% 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.

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 USW00014756.
• 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.