Arlington, MA Tornado History — 46 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Arlington, MA had?
Arlington has had 46 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 4 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Arlington?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Arlington was an EF0 on September 6, 2025.
When is tornado season in Arlington?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Arlington, with 14 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 Arlington
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 11 total, averaging 0.6 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 Arlington
96 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Arlington since 1950, across 3 events. 1,264 injuries have been reported across all events. 1953 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on June 9, 1953, which caused 94 fatalities along a 34.9-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Arlington
About Tornadoes in Arlington
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Arlington is a densely settled inner suburb just northwest of Boston, in the coastal lowlands of eastern Massachusetts. Southern New England is not a major tornado region, but it does record tornadoes in most years, and the area's longer history includes a small number of powerful ones.
Tornadoes here are chiefly a summer occurrence. On humid days, strong surface heating can make the atmosphere unstable, and when a disturbance aloft supplies wind shear, thunderstorms can grow and occasionally rotate. The nearby coast and its sea breeze can influence where storms develop on a given afternoon. Because these events are infrequent in the Boston area, it is easy to underestimate them — a good reason to take severe-weather watches and warnings seriously.
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale grades tornado intensity from EF0 to EF5 based on a damage survey rather than a measured wind speed. Nearly all of the region's tornadoes are weak, with violent ones being rare. The tornado history for the Arlington area — counts, the decade and rating breakdowns, and the deadliest, costliest, and most recent events — is drawn from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and appears in the figures elsewhere on this page.