A New England hurricane is a tropical cyclone originating in the Atlantic Ocean that affects the U.S. states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and/or Maine. Due to geography and climatology the vast majority of tropical cyclone strikes to the New England region occur in Connecticut, Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts.

Since record keeping began for Atlantic tropical cyclones in 1851 there have been approximately 30 tropical cyclones to strike New England direct. The location of New England means that most tropical cyclones that threaten the region tend to recurve out to sea, mainly owing to upper-level steering patterns such as the jet stream. Tropical cyclones also tend to weaken upon approach owing to the cooler waters above 40 latitude (near southeastern Massachusetts). Thus tropical cyclone formation near New England and over the Gulf of Maine is very unfavorable. However tropical cyclones moving up the East Coast of the United States can rapidly approach the Connecticut and Rhode Island coast before they encounter the cooler waters off southeast Massachusetts and strike far southern New England as a category 3 hurricane. Both Connecticut and Rhode Island have been struck several times by a major hurricane since 1850.

Most commonly, New England will see the remnants or weakening stage of most tropical cyclones that make landfall either along the United States east coast or Gulf coast. This can sometimes lead to excessive rainfall, and in some cases destructive flooding. Hurricane Diane in 1955 produced over 19 inches of rain in Massachusetts and contributed to the 1955 Connecticut floods, one of the worst flooding events in Connecticut's history. More recently, in 2011, a weakening Hurricane Irene produced historic flooding in Vermont, causing over $175 million in damage.

The return period for hurricane and major landfalls along the coast of New England is highest in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and declines rapidly north toward Maine. Generally, the return period for hurricane-force winds is 12–16 years along the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island (which is for example higher than the coast of Georgia much farther south), to more than 50 years along the Maine coast.

Due to the fact that sea surface temperatures from eastern Massachusetts northward are generally too cool to support a major tropical cyclone, the region very rarely sees a major hurricane landfall (Category 3 or higher). Since 1851, only 3 major hurricanes have ever made landfall on the New England coastline, and all of these were in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The return period for storms of such strength along the southern New England coastline is considered to be 50–70 years, and upwards of 300 years in coastal Maine. As of 2022, the most recent major hurricane to make landfall in the region was Hurricane Carol in 1954.

On September 21, 1938, a Category 3 hurricane made landfall over New Haven, Connecticut with sustained winds of 115 mph (gusts of 150 mph) and a pressure of 941 millibars. Many coastal towns and cities on the Connecticut and Rhode Island coast suffered extreme damage. The coastal community of Napatree Point, Rhode Island was hit with a 20 - foot storm surge and the day after the cyclone was totally gone (34 killed). The cyclone produced very high wind gusts inland at higher elevations, delivering a 186 mph wind gust to the Blue Hill Observatory in Massachusetts and a 163 mph gust atop Mount Washington. A storm surge of 10–18 feet from Long Island Sound to Narragansett Bay, it is often considered to be the most intense hurricane to ever strike New England in modern times. One estimate from Rhode Island stated the water level "reflects a storm occurring roughly once every 400 years. A study of sand deposits also gives more evidence that this was the strongest hurricane to hit Rhode Island in over 300 years, since 1635."

List of New England Tropical Cyclones

Pre–17th century Multiple intense hurricanes (Category 3+) are noted to have possibly struck New England in pre-Columbian times: between 1100 and 1150, 1300–1400 (1295–1407), and 1400–1450 (1404–1446), respectively.Donnelly, J. P.; Ettinger, R.; Cleary, P. (2001): "Intense hurricane strikes in southeastern New England since A.D. 1000", American Geophysical Union.

17th century August 25, 1635 – The Great Colonial Hurricane struck Narragansett Bay, killing at least 46 people. This hurricane is often considered to be the most intense hurricane to hit New England since its European colonization. The only other storm of a similar magnitude was the 1938 hurricane. August 23, 1683 – A tropical cyclone hit Connecticut and caused tremendous flooding. October 29, 1693 – Another tropical cyclone struck New England and caused flooding so great that new permanent inlets were created.

18th century October 18, 1703 – A tropical system caused great wind and flood damage; many ships were lost. February 23, 1723 – An off-season storm struck Cape Cod causing a great deal of damage, but no reported deaths.Snow, Edward Rowe. Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. 2003. October 8, 1747 – Seven ships were destroyed, and "many" perished. September 8, 1769 – A hurricane that earlier caused great damage in Annapolis, Maryland; blew ashore boats at Boston and adjacent areas, Providence, and Newport. Some houses were blown down and destroyed. September 1775 – The Newfoundland hurricane apparently brought strong winds and/or waves to New England, though it is not known to have actually made landfall. This report may also be confused with the Independence Hurricane of September 2–3, 1775, which passed into New England from New York as a tropical depression or weak tropical storm. August 13, 1778 – A weakening hurricane that struck the Carolinas, and impacted the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island but did not make landfall. This storm prevented a major battle between Britain and France off the coast of Rhode Island. November 1, 1778 – A possible late-season hurricane struck Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing between 50 and 70 people. Twenty-three of these deaths are believed to be attributed to , a British ship which ran aground on Cape Cod during this storm. October 8–9, 1782 – A hurricane struck the Carolinas and moved up the coast, causing damage in Providence, Rhode Island. It is currently not known if this hurricane made landfall in New England. October 18–19, 1782 – A second hurricane moved up the coast and was considered more severe than the previous storm in portions of New England, especially Boston. This was a rare snow hurricane for New England and the storm was likely transforming into an extratropical cyclone as it approached the New England states. September 24–25, 1785 – A hurricane which made landfall near Ocracoke, North Carolina, impacted southern New England. Based on known observations, this hurricane remained offshore of New England but passed close enough to inflict heavy rain and strong winds to New York City and Boston. August 19, 1788 – A weakening hurricane moved up through eastern New York.

19th century September 12, 1804 – The Antigua–Charleston hurricane, a major storm for the Caribbean, Georgia, and South Carolina, impacted portions of New England as a weakening tropical storm and then a tropical depression before dissipating off the coast of Nova Scotia. October 9, 1804 – As the Snow hurricane crossed New England, cool air became entrained in the circulation, and it became extratropical. The storm brought heavy snow across the Northeast, in some areas up to , and killed a total of 16 people; one on land and fifteen at sea. This was the second observation of snow from a landfalling hurricane, but not the last. This hurricane which peaked at Category 3 intensity was a major one, especially for eastern Massachusetts. October 3, 1805 – A hurricane that struck Mantanzas, Cuba reportedly reached the District of Maine (part of Massachusetts until 1820) as a tropical cyclone. Little information is available on this storm, however, a tropical cyclone exclusively striking Maine is not unique. This is what occurred during the passage of both Hurricane Gerda in 1969 and Tropical Storm Heidi in 1971. September 1815 – What was once a major hurricane in the Carolinas brought tropical-storm-force winds to portions of New England. The likely track of this cyclone takes it very near but offshore of Nantucket.

September 23–24, 1815 – The 1815 New England hurricane struck New England as a major hurricane and delivered an storm surge that funneled up Narragansett Bay. The hurricane destroyed some 500 houses and 35 ships and flooded Providence, Rhode Island. It also caused at least 38 deaths throughout New England. August 12, 1817 – A hurricane that was first reported near Tobago made landfall on the Florida panhandle and moved slowly up the coast. As either a weak tropical storm or tropical depression, the system brought rain to New York and portions of New England on the 12th before moving into Quebec. September 4, 1821 – The Norfolk and Long Island hurricane was a very powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall within the modern day limits of New York City. It sliced through New England and was likely extratropical as it moved along the Maine coastline. June 4–5, 1825 – An early-season hurricane formed in late May near Santo Domingo and later struck Cuba, Florida, and South Carolina before moving up the Mid-Atlantic coast and into New England. Hurricane conditions were reported as far north as New York City, and the cyclone's status as a tropical cyclone in New England is debatable given the early date. August 27, 1827 – The St. Kitts Hurricane impacted the eastern seaboard from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is possible that this cyclone made landfall along the United States, but there are also conflicting reports that say it remained offshore of Cape Hatteras, Delaware, and Nantucket. August 1827 was a very active month with at least four hurricanes impacting the North Atlantic. August 1830 – Two hurricanes passed close to southeastern Massachusetts within a week of each other. First came the Atlantic Coast Hurricane on August 19 followed by a second hurricane around the 25th. Damage from these two systems was duly noted on Nantucket. It appears that the later system approached the region from the southeast before turning out to sea southeast of Cape Cod. October 11, 1830 – A third hurricane impacted New England in 1830 but like the two in August, this cyclone did not make landfall in New England. Barnstable, Massachusetts, reported the storm. July 19, 1835 – The remnants of a hurricane that struck Florida twice moved into northern New England from New York. August 30, 1839 – A hurricane moved up the east coast but did not make landfall. Fringe effects were felt on Long Island and southeastern New England. October 3, 1841 – The October Gale became an extratropical storm, and passed off the coast of New England. The system dropped snow and sleet in Connecticut, bringing up to of snow in some areas. The storm wrecked the Georges Bank fishing fleet which drowned 81 fishermen and knocked down trees, tore roofs off houses and forced boats to go up on shore. The storm also destroyed a saltworks factory along Cape Cod, sending the economy to a slump. In 1842, a monument was erected to remember the sailors and fishermen lost at sea. October 14, 1846 – The Great Havana Hurricane was still a strong tropical cyclone when it passed into New England from New York. In Hartford, Connecticut, hurricane-force winds destroyed a trestle bridge. Numerous apple orchards in Massachusetts were reported ruined. No deaths due to the hurricane's passage over New England were reported.