Dorchester, MA Tornado History — 44 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Dorchester, MA had?
Dorchester has had 44 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 3 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Dorchester?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Dorchester was an EF0 on September 6, 2025.
When is tornado season in Dorchester?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Dorchester, with 13 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 Dorchester
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 12 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 Dorchester
95 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Dorchester since 1950, across 2 events. 1,268 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 Dorchester
About Tornadoes in Dorchester
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.
Dorchester is Boston's largest neighborhood, a broad, densely settled district on the city's south side near the harbor and the Neponset River. Eastern Massachusetts sits far from the country's tornado hotspots, but southern New England does see tornadoes, and the longer historical record includes rare, damaging events.
Here tornadoes are chiefly a summertime concern. They form when moist, unstable air over the region is lifted by strong daytime heating and a passing upper-level disturbance supplies the wind shear that lets storms rotate. Proximity to the coast and the local sea breeze can shape exactly where thunderstorms develop on a given day. Because such storms are infrequent in this area, it is easy to underestimate them, which is why heeding watches and warnings remains important even in a coastal city.
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale grades tornado intensity from EF0 to EF5 based on the damage surveyed afterward rather than a measured wind speed. The overwhelming majority of the region's tornadoes are weak, though its record contains rare violent exceptions. The tornado history for the Dorchester area — counts, the decade and rating breakdowns, and the most notable events — is compiled from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and appears in the figures elsewhere on this page.