NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Amelia Court House, VA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
43 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Amelia Court House, Virginia since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 49 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 38
- Tornadoes
- 49
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Amelia Court House
The strongest storm to pass near Amelia Court House was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 98 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Amelia Court House begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 48 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 43 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Amelia Court House has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 78% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 49 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 4, 1990, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on September 17, 2018, killed 1 person. Of the 49, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2022. Amelia Court House has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1978, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Amelia Court House.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Amelia Court House
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 12 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | overhead | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 51 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 18 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 47 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 36 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 25 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Amelia Court House: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Amelia Court House
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s13
- 2000s18
- 1990s2(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1990 | F3 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1977 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 7.5 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 8, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Oct 11, 2018 | EF2 | 7 mi | 1.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1993 | F2 | 18 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1974 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1970 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 2, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2022 | EF1 | 23 mi | 21.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2018 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 49, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Amelia Court House
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Amelia Court House since 1978, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently July 4, 2011. The most recent report is from September 7, 2023. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Amelia Court House
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Amelia Courthouse, VA, 1 mile northwest of Amelia Court House at 345 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. March is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (22.8 of 45.4 inches). September has brought the most of the 43 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 81°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.4 inches is more than at 47 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (43%). Crewe, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Fort Pickett, VA): 46.9 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 3.7 | 8 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 52 | 29 | 2.9 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 60 | 36 | 4.4 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 71 | 45 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.6 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 45.4 | 78 | 8.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Amelia Courthouse, VA (345 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Amelia Court House
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 150 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Amelia Court House: 131 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 heavy rain events, 6 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $424,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on April 25, 2014. October has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 25 have had fewer than Amelia Court House.
July 26, 2009: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Amelia Court House — 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “Tree fell onto a car.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Amelia County, which includes Amelia Court House, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Amelia County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.1 million a year, the 96th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.4 million (28%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Amelia Court House
- Jetersville, VA9 mi
- Moseley, VA11 mi
- Crewe, VA14 mi
- Powhatan, VA15 mi
- Burkeville, VA17 mi
- Blackstone, VA19 mi
- Church Road, VA19 mi
- Midlothian, VA19 mi
- Chesterfield, VA20 mi
- Cumberland, VA21 mi
- Sutherland, VA24 mi
- Manakin Sabot, VA24 mi
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