Windsor County, VT Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by landslide. 362 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $25.13M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 362
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 488
- 1.9% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 6 tropical storms or stronger since 1893
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Low
Score 61.6 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 24.6 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively High
Score 72.0 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $16.6B · Agriculture value exposed: $32.26M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $23.29M
Risk by hazard
- LandslideRelatively Moderate$66.99K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.1 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$187K/yr expected annual loss, about 20 events a year
- HurricaneRelatively Low$880K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 years
- Ice stormRelatively Moderate$256K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- Heat waveRelatively Low$1.03M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.9 events a year
- LightningRelatively Moderate$483K/yr expected annual loss, about 21 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Low$1.35M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.1 events a year
- AvalancheVery Low$1,075/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- EarthquakeVery Low$380K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 859 years
- Strong windRelatively Low$403K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.0 events a year
- TornadoRelatively Low$585K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 9 years
- WildfireVery Low$13.49K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 60,042 years
- HailVery Low$107K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, drought, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 488 of 25,732 (1.9%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 1,057
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 297 (28%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 511
- Claims paid since 1978
- $24.91M
Flood claims paid per year
- Hurricane Irene$13.72M · 253 claims
- Vermont/New York Flooding$10.49M · 131 claims
- December Nor'easter$11.67K · 3 claims
- Flooding$9,855 · 9 claims
- Hurricane Debby$0 · 1 claim
- Hurricane Sandy$0 · 1 claim
Storm history
Since 1996: 362 events, 2 deaths, $166M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind158
- Hail54
- Flash Flood44 · 1 death
- Winter Weather33
- Winter Storm26
- Flood11
- Strong Wind9
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill8
- Lightning7 · 1 death
- Heavy Rain5
Events per year
5 tornadoes on record (EF1 1, F2 4).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flash Flood08/28/2011
Goulds Mill, Windsor County
$105M damage
What happened
Devastating flash flooding as a result of 4 to 7+ inches of rainfall occurred across all of Windsor county, especially in the foothills of the Green Mountains such as Rochester, Ludlow, Stockbridge, Barnard, Woodstock, Plymouth, Cavendish. Several dozens roads (state and local), including Routes 4, 12, 12A, 100, 103, 107 and 131, as well as several bridges were washed out or suffered severe damage. Several communities between Rutland and Windsor and within Windsor county were isolated due to loss infrastructure. Dozens of homes and businesses experienced severe flooding as well as major losses to farms and livestock.
- Flash Flood07/10/2023
Chester, Windsor County
1 death, $25M damage
What happened
Training showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall affected this area between the early morning and early to mid afternoon on July 10. Observations and radar estimates show 3 to 7 inches of rainfall occurred, with localized totals to 8 inches. Severe to devastating flash flooding occurred in several towns during this period, most notably in Weston, Ludlow, Plymouth and Bridgewater.
- Flood08/28/2011
Pompanoosuc, Windsor County
$22.5M damage
What happened
Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Irene caused devastating flooding along the White and Ottauquechee River and their tributaries. Homes, businesses, and roads were flooded throughout Windsor county. The White River at West Hartford crested at 28.40 feet, about a foot below the record crest of 29.30 feet set in the great flood of 1927.
- Lightning07/05/2002
Woodstock, Windsor County
1 death
What happened
As a thunderstorm was ending near Quechee, Vermont, a male in his late 30's was struck by the final lightning bolt of a thunderstorm. The bolt struck the individual's tent. Initially, after the strike, the individual reportedly spoke, then lapsed into unconsciousness followed by cardiac arrest and death.
- Flash Flood07/01/2017
Stockbridge, Windsor County
$3.2M damage
What happened
Flash flooding damaged roads across northern Windsor County. Flowing water covered Route 132 in Sharon, and multiple residences were cut off by high water and damaged roads throughout the area. Residences along Sargent Road in Norwich were damaged.
- Thunderstorm Wind100 kt wind07/22/2003
Cavendish, Windsor County
1 injured, $100K damage
What happened
An area of low pressure moved from eastern New York into New England Monday night. Rapidly moving thunderstorms associated with this system resulted in a transport down to the surface of strong upper level winds with damage in the towns of Cavendish and Chester. In the town of Cavendish, a path of tree damage approximately 3 to 4 miles long was about 1/4 mile wide at the beginning impact point and about 3/4 mile wide at the end of the damage path. An estimated 500 to 700 trees were destroyed. Pine trees were snapped while hard wood trees were uprooted. A few trees fell on structures with some damage. One person was injured when a tree blew over on top of them. Power lines were blown down with a number of residents without power. The actual thunderstorm winds were reported to have lasted 30 seconds or less. In the town of Chester, a number of trees were uprooted with some structural damage.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/15/2026
Springfield, Windsor County
$10K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind60 kt wind07/15/2026
Amsden, Windsor County
$25K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind07/15/2026
Downers, Windsor County
$15K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind60 kt wind07/15/2026
Weathersfield Bow, Windsor County
$20K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind60 kt wind07/15/2026
Weathersfield Center, Windsor County
$20K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind65 kt wind07/15/2026
Weathersfield Center, Windsor County
$20K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/02/2026
South Royalton, Windsor County
$5,000 damage
- Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind07/02/2026
Bethel, Windsor County
$5,000 damage
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Windsor County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Irene (2011)08/21/2011 · Landfall: VI, PR, NC, NJ, NY · 942 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Hurricane David (1979)08/25/1979 · 924 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1968)09/10/1968 · Landfall: NY · 997 mbTropical storm63 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1949)08/23/1949 · Landfall: FL · 954 mbTropical storm58 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1899)10/26/1899 · Landfall: SCTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1893)08/15/1893 · Landfall: NY · 952 mbTropical storm69 mph nearby
Drinking water
47 community water systems serve about 45,305 people. Violations since 2021.
6 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 5 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Springfield Water DeptServes 9,800 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
- Hartford Water DeptServes 7,600 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Chester Water DeptServes 3,200 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+5 monitoring or reporting
- Ludlow Village Water DeptServes 2,880 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Town of Woodstock Water DepartmentServes 2,473 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Windsor Water DeptServes 2,350 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Quechee CentralServes 2,262 · Groundwater · Public and privateNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Bethel Water DeptServes 1,929 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Woodstock, 3.1 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 82°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 7°F in Jan. About 42.5 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 7°F | 2.85 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 9°F | 2.65 in |
| Mar | 41°F | 19°F | 3.19 in |
| Apr | 55°F | 31°F | 3.50 in |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 3.61 in |
| Jun | 77°F | 53°F | 4.11 in |
| Jul | 82°F | 57°F | 3.92 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 55°F | 3.68 in |
| Sep | 73°F | 47°F | 3.59 in |
| Oct | 59°F | 36°F | 4.57 in |
| Nov | 46°F | 26°F | 3.59 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 16°F | 3.19 in |
| Year | 45°F average | 42.5 in | |
Pollution sites
1 Superfund site and 0 toxic release facilities in Windsor County
Superfund sites
- Old Springfield LandfillFinalSpringfield
Toxic release facilities
None reporting in this county.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk71 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Windsor County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Windsor County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $25.13M a year. The highest-rated hazards are landslide (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Windsor County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 362 storm events affecting Windsor County, most often thunderstorm wind (158), hail (54), flash flood (44).
- How many tornadoes have hit Windsor County?
- 5 tornadoes have been recorded in Windsor County since 1950.
- How many homes in Windsor County have flood insurance?
- 488 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Windsor County, covering about 1.9% of homes. The program has paid $24.91M on 511 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Windsor County?
- At Woodstock, average highs reach 82°F in Jul and lows fall to 7°F in Jan, with 42.5 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.