NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bedford, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bedford, Virginia since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Bedford
The strongest storm to pass near Bedford was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 82 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1896, whose centre came within 34 miles. The record near Bedford begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 9 miles away. The 1880s and the 1890s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 18 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 67% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bedford. The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 15, 2018; its path came within 16 miles. Of the 27, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 27, 2024. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bedford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bedford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bedford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 34 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 68 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bedford: 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 Bedford
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s5
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF3 | 16 mi | 20.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF2 | 9 mi | 6.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 14 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F2 | 1 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1996 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1977 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1964 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF1 | 3 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 5 mi | 2.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2018 | EF1 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bedford
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Bedford since 1975, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 23, 2016. The most recent report is from May 27, 2022. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bedford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Buchanan, VA, 15 miles northwest of Bedford at 880 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.2 of 43.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 79°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 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 43.5 inches is more than at 25 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (23%). Goode, 7 miles east, has its own station (Lynchburg #2, VA): 43.8 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 3.2 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 57 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 59 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 3.5 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 43.5 | 73 | 11.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Buchanan, VA (880 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 Bedford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 189 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bedford: 141 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 12 lightning strikes, 8 heavy rain events and 7 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 29, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 9 of 21. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 194 have had fewer than Bedford.
July 14, 2016: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Bedford — 1 killed.
June 5, 2001: thunderstorm wind in Bedford — 1 injured.
June 8, 2022: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Bedford — 1 injured.
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
Bedford County, which includes Bedford, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bedford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.6 million a year, the 31st highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.9 million (73%), 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 Bedford
- Goode, VA7 mi
- Thaxton, VA8 mi
- Forest, VA13 mi
- Goodview, VA14 mi
- Blue Ridge, VA15 mi
- Moneta, VA15 mi
- Evington, VA15 mi
- Buchanan, VA16 mi
- Huddleston, VA16 mi
- Lynch Station, VA17 mi
- Hardy, VA17 mi
- Vinton, VA18 mi
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