Hartford, CT Tornado History — 64 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Hartford, CT had?
Hartford has had 64 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 6 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Hartford?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Hartford was an EF0 on June 21, 2024.
When is tornado season in Hartford?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Hartford, with 21 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Hartford
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 19 total, averaging 0.9 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Hartford
7 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Hartford since 1950, across 3 events. 846 injuries have been reported across all events. 2011 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on October 3, 1979, which caused 3 fatalities along a 11.3-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Hartford
About Tornadoes in Hartford
This overview was written July 29, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Hartford sits along the Connecticut River at the center of Hartford County, and tornadoes in this stretch of southern New England have clustered in the June-through-August thunderstorm season, when humid air pushing up the river valley collides with cold fronts sweeping in from the west.
The area's history also holds genuinely dangerous storms. On October 3, 1979, an F4 tornado plowed an 11.3-mile path, as much as 1,400 yards wide, through the Hartford area, killing 3 people, injuring 500, and causing $275 million in property damage — a ferocious autumn strike far outside the usual summer pattern. Years earlier, on May 24, 1962, an F3 tracked 11.6 miles through the county, killing 1 person and injuring 50. A July 10, 1989 F2 injured 70 people along a five-mile path and left $27.5 million in damage.
The Enhanced Fujita era brought its own severe chapter when an EF3 struck on June 1, 2011, carving a 37.58-mile track across the region, killing 3 people, injuring 200, and causing $227.6 million in damage. Smaller tornadoes have kept coming since: EF0s touched down in July and September 2021, an unusually late-season EF0 followed on November 13, 2021, and a brief EF0 arrived on June 21, 2024.