NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blue Ridge, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Blue Ridge, Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 21
- 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 Blue Ridge
The strongest storm to pass near Blue Ridge was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Blue Ridge begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 13 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 74% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Blue Ridge. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 27, 2022, came within 23 miles. Of the 21, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on September 27, 2024. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Blue Ridge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 121 times since 1982, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Blue Ridge has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Blue Ridge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 49 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 7 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 Blue Ridge: 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 Blue Ridge
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5
- 2000s5
- 1990s4
- 1970s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1996 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 8 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1953 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 10 mi | 2.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2018 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Blue Ridge
The Storm Prediction Center has 121 hail reports within 10 miles of Blue Ridge since 1982, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 22, 2004. The most recent report is from July 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blue Ridge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Roanoke 8 N, VA, 9 miles west of Blue Ridge at 1,157 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 25°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (24.2 of 45.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.7 inches is more than at 53 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (49%). Thaxton, 7 miles east, has its own station (Buchanan, VA): 43.5 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 25 | 3.3 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 2.7 | 5 | 4.8 |
| Mar | 58 | 33 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 42 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 51 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 34 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 29 | 3.3 | 7 | 2.7 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 45.7 | 81 | 11.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Roanoke 8 N, VA (1,157 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 Blue Ridge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 308 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blue Ridge: 223 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods, 26 floods, 12 heavy rain events and 10 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 7, 2006. September has had the most flash floods, 8 of 37. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 277 have had fewer than Blue Ridge.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge — $500,000 damage.
July 16, 2013: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge — $330,000 damage.
September 17, 2018: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge — $230,000 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 Blue Ridge's ZIP code 24064 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $217,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 14% 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, 24 have fewer than Blue Ridge.
Botetourt County, which includes Blue Ridge, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 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 Botetourt County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 64th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.0 million (78%), 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 Blue Ridge
- Thaxton, VA7 mi
- Daleville, VA7 mi
- Troutville, VA7 mi
- Vinton, VA8 mi
- Fincastle, VA11 mi
- Goodview, VA11 mi
- Roanoke, VA12 mi
- Buchanan, VA13 mi
- Hardy, VA13 mi
- Bedford, VA15 mi
- Salem, VA17 mi
- Moneta, VA18 mi
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