NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Appalachia, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Appalachia, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 16
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Appalachia
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Appalachia; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Appalachia begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 74 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Appalachia. The strongest of the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on May 8, 2009; its path came within 17 miles. Of the 16, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2023. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Appalachia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 2000, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Appalachia.
Compare Appalachia's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Appalachia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Appalachia: 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 Appalachia
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 2000s7
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2008 | EF1 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 26, 2004 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1983 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2007 | EF0 | 24 mi | 1.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Appalachia
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Appalachia since 2000, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 1, 2002. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Appalachia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Big Stone Gap, VA, 4 miles south of Appalachia at 1,466 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. July and December are the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 56.1 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.1 inches is more than at 108 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (99%). Norton, 9 miles east, has its own station (Wise 1SE, VA): 51.8 inches a year, 4.3 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 4.9 | 9 | 3.1 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 5.0 | 8 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 5.4 | 9 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 43 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 32 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 5.5 | 9 | 1.8 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 56.1 | 102 | 9.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Big Stone Gap, VA (1,466 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 Appalachia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 98 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Appalachia: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 9 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $688,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 9, 2003. September has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 55 have had fewer than Appalachia.
February 6, 2020: flood 6 miles from the centre of Appalachia — $196,000 damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Appalachia's ZIP code 24216 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $175,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 22% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 183 Virginia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 38 have fewer than Appalachia.
Wise County, which includes Appalachia, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wise County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.2 million a year, the 40th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.1 million (69%), 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.