Chestnut Hill, MA Tornado History — 51 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Chestnut Hill, MA had?
Chestnut Hill has had 51 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 4 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Chestnut Hill?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Chestnut Hill was an EF0 on September 6, 2025.
When is tornado season in Chestnut Hill?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Chestnut Hill, 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 Chestnut Hill
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 14 total, averaging 0.7 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 Chestnut Hill
96 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Chestnut Hill since 1950, across 3 events. 1,270 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 Chestnut Hill
About Tornadoes in Chestnut Hill
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.
Chestnut Hill is a leafy residential district straddling the towns just west of Boston, in the low, wooded hills of the eastern Massachusetts coast. Southern New England is far from the country's tornado hotspots, but it records tornadoes in most years, and the area's longer history includes rare, powerful ones.
Tornadoes here are chiefly a summer occurrence. On humid days, strong 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, taking severe-weather watches and warnings seriously matters even here.
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 rare. The tornado history for the Chestnut Hill 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.