NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blacksburg, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Blacksburg, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Blacksburg
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Blacksburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Blacksburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Blacksburg. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 8, 2011, came within 24 miles. Of the 15, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. April and August have had the most tornadoes, 3 each. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Blacksburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 154 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Blacksburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Blacksburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 40 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 Blacksburg: 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 Blacksburg
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1953 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 2 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 23, 1999 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Blacksburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 154 hail reports within 10 miles of Blacksburg since 1981, made on 85 separate days. Of these, 71 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently August 14, 2011. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blacksburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blacksburg NWSO, VA, 1 mile south of Blacksburg at 2,103 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 42.8 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (21.4 of 42.8 inches). September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 125 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.8 inches is more than at 17 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (16%). Christiansburg, 6 miles south, has its own station (Christiansburg, VA): 42.1 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 22 | 3.2 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 2.8 | 6 | 7.0 |
| Mar | 53 | 30 | 3.8 | 8 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 64 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 31 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 45 | 25 | 3.3 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 42.8 | 82 | 24.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blacksburg NWSO, VA (2,103 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 Blacksburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 258 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blacksburg: 178 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods, 24 floods, 15 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 11, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 37. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 277 have had fewer than Blacksburg.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Blacksburg — 1 killed, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew thousands of trees and branches down across the county. There were numerous reports of power lines being taken down by the wind or by falling trees or branches.”
August 29, 2021: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Blacksburg — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
July 7, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Blacksburg — 1 injured, $1,500 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 Blacksburg's 2 ZIP codes have filed 48 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 11 claims (23% of all) and $1.3 million. 42% 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, 94 have fewer than Blacksburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 11 | $1.3 million |
Montgomery County, which includes Blacksburg, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Montgomery County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.6 million a year, the 32nd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.2 million (67%), 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 Blacksburg
- Christiansburg, VA6 mi
- Elliston, VA10 mi
- Shawsville, VA10 mi
- Radford, VA11 mi
- Pembroke, VA13 mi
- Riner, VA15 mi
- Dublin, VA17 mi
- Pearisburg, VA19 mi
- Salem, VA19 mi
- Floyd, VA22 mi
- Narrows, VA23 mi
- Pulaski, VA23 mi
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