NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bowling Green, 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
44 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bowling Green, Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 41
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Bowling Green
The strongest storm to pass near Bowling Green was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 96 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Bowling Green begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 55 miles away. Of the 44 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Bowling Green has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 33% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on February 24, 2016, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 1, 1998, killed 2 people. Of the 59, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2024. Bowling Green has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.75 inches. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bowling Green.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bowling Green
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 31 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 24 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 48 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 9 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | overhead | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bowling Green: 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 Bowling Green
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s25
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF3 | 23 mi | 30.34 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 3.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1998 | F2 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 19 mi | 2.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 12 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bowling Green
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Bowling Green since 1958, made on 10 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.75 inches, fell on August 7, 2023, the most recent report. June and August have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bowling Green
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Corbin, VA, 12 miles north of Bowling Green at 220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. September is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 44.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (23.5 of 44.8 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 44.8 inches is more than at 39 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (36%). Ruther Glen, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Ashland, VA): 45.3 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Dahlgren, VA, 24 miles northeast, averaged 85°F in July and 40°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Dahlgren tide gauge, 24 miles from Bowling Green, has risen 2.24 ± 0.12 inches per decade from 1972 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 22.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 127 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 3.3 | 7 | 3.6 | 40 |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 2.9 | 6 | 5.0 | 42 |
| Mar | 57 | 35 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.9 | 50 |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.1 | 60 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 | 69 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 78 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 | 85 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 | 83 |
| Sep | 79 | 58 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 | 77 |
| Oct | 69 | 47 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 | 67 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.1 | 55 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 3.6 | 6 | 1.8 | 44 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 44.8 | 72 | 11.5 | 63 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Corbin, VA (220 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Dahlgren, VA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Bowling Green
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 113 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bowling Green: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 heavy rain events, 4 flash floods and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $460,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 60 mph, on June 29, 2012.
June 19, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Bowling Green — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Significant damage occurred across the central portions of the county from severe winds. Numerous trees were downed in Bowling Green and Milford.”
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
Caroline County, which includes Bowling Green, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 snowstorms, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, on March 11, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Caroline County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail, inland flooding and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.3 million a year, the 70th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (42%), 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 Bowling Green
- Milford, VA4 mi
- Woodford, VA8 mi
- Ruther Glen, VA11 mi
- King George, VA18 mi
- Aylett, VA19 mi
- Partlow, VA20 mi
- Beaverdam, VA20 mi
- Hanover, VA20 mi
- Fredericksburg, VA20 mi
- Ashland, VA22 mi
- Colonial Beach, VA22 mi
- Spotsylvania, VA22 mi
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