Three tornadoes have been confirmed across New England so far in 2026, and remarkably, all of them have occurred in Vermont.

Two of those tornadoes touched down during severe thunderstorms on June 18, when a potent weather system swept across the region.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Lincoln with peak winds of 105 mph and another EF-1 tornado in Woodstock with winds reaching 100 mph.

Earlier this spring, an EF-1 tornado struck Williamstown on April 16 with estimated winds of 90 mph.

This week’s Climate Chronicles question comes from Kate:

With severe weather last week, how often do we actually see tornadoes touch down in Maine?

Maine tornado activity (WGME).

Historically, Maine averages about two tornadoes each year, with most occurring between June and August.

Most storms develop during the late afternoon and early evening, typically between 3 and 9 p.m., when hours of sunshine have heated the ground and created the instability needed for thunderstorms to form.

The last confirmed tornado to touch down in Maine was in 2023.

Average amount of tornadoes that touch down in each New England state per year (WGME).

Massachusetts and Connecticut also average about two tornadoes per year, with many occurring across the flatter terrain of western portions of both states.

In Massachusetts, the broad Connecticut River Valley stretching through Springfield has earned the nickname “New England’s Tornado Alley” due to its history of tornado activity.

Vermont, on the other hand, typically averages just one tornado annually. With three confirmed tornadoes already in 2026, the state has already exceeded its yearly average by two, making this an unusually active year for tornadoes in the Green Mountain State.

Maine’s tornado history (GoSanAngelo, WGME).

Since 1950, Maine has recorded 140 tornadoes. None have been rated stronger than an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the system used to classify tornado intensity based on the damage they cause.

Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes are not assigned ratings while they are occurring. Instead, National Weather Service survey teams assess damage after the storm has passed, examining impacts to homes, buildings, trees, and other structures.

From that damage, meteorologists estimate the tornado’s wind speeds and assign an EF rating ranging from EF0 to EF5.

While Maine has experienced its share of tornadoes over the decades, the state has never recorded a violent EF4 or EF5 tornado.

Do you have any weather questions? Email our Weather Authority team at weather@wgme.com. We’d love to hear from you!

New Hampshire has the highest share of adults who identify as atheists in the U.S., at about 11%, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Nearly half of adults in the Granite State (48%) identify as religiously unaffiliated, a group that includes atheists, agnostics, and people who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.”

In the U.S. overall, 5% of adults identify as atheists, meaning New Hampshire’s share is more than twice the national average. About 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated.

However, regionally, the West has the highest share of adults who identify as atheists among the four major U.S. regions – Northeast, Midwest, South, and West – according to the data.

The Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study (RLS) regarding Americans’ beliefs was conducted in English and Spanish from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 U.S. adults.

What is atheism? 10 US states with the highest percentage of atheists