NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blackstone, 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
46 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Blackstone, Virginia since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ophelia in 2023. Since 1950, 49 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 40
- Tornadoes
- 49
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Blackstone
The strongest storm to pass near Blackstone was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 99 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Blackstone begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Ophelia in 2023, a tropical storm 60 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 46 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Blackstone has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 82% 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 20 miles. Of the 49, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on November 11, 2022. Blackstone has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Blackstone.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Blackstone
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | OpheliaSep 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 12 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 10 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 2 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 75 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 52 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 18 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 50 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 38 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 25 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Blackstone: 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 Blackstone
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s10
- 2000s18
- 1990s3(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1990 | F3 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1986 | F3 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1983 | F3 | 1 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2018 | EF2 | 14 mi | 1.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1993 | F2 | 2 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1974 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 2, 1966 | F2 | in town | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 2, 1966 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2018 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2018 | EF1 | 21 mi | 8.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2017 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.31 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 Blackstone
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Blackstone since 1961, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 29, 1999. The most recent report is from September 7, 2023. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blackstone
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fort Pickett, VA, 3 miles southeast of Blackstone at 330 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (24.3 of 46.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 46 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.9 inches is more than at 67 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (61%). Burkeville, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Farmville 2 N, VA): 44.4 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 27 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 52 | 28 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 66 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 30 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 46.9 | 78 | 3.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fort Pickett, VA (330 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 Blackstone
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blackstone: 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $318,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on June 11, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Blackstone.
July 22, 2019: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Blackstone — 1 killed, 2 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “Large tree was downed during a training exercise at Fort Pickett killing one person and injuring two other people.”
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
Nottoway County, which includes Blackstone, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 3 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 Nottoway County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.2 million a year, the 84th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.0 million (17%), is from hurricanes.
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 Blackstone
- Crewe, VA10 mi
- Kenbridge, VA12 mi
- Mc Kenney, VA14 mi
- Victoria, VA15 mi
- Burkeville, VA15 mi
- Jetersville, VA17 mi
- Amelia Court House, VA19 mi
- Church Road, VA20 mi
- Meherrin, VA22 mi
- Brodnax, VA23 mi
- Dinwiddie, VA23 mi
- Sutherland, VA25 mi
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