NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bristol, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bristol, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Bristol
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bristol; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Bristol begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 40 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bristol. The highest rating among the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 13 miles. Of the 26, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on May 12, 2017. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bristol. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bristol has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bristol
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bristol: 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 Bristol
By decade
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 13 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1962 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 12 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2002 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1998 | F1 | 13 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 16, 1989 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F1 | 8 mi | 16.2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 10, 1953 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bristol
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Bristol since 1967, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 27, 2011. The most recent report is from May 6, 2022. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bristol
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Abingdon 3S, VA, 12 miles east of Bristol at 1,925 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 99 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. That 47.4 inches is more than at 77 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (71%). Bluff City, TN, 11 miles south, has its own station (Elizabethton, TN): 48.2 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 24 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Feb | 48 | 27 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Apr | 68 | 41 | 4.4 | 9 |
| May | 75 | 50 | 4.4 | 10 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Oct | 69 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 47.4 | 99 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Abingdon 3S, VA (1,925 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 Bristol
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 138 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bristol: 113 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 11 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $737,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 12, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 114 have had fewer than Bristol.
August 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Bristol — 1 killed, 1 injured, $8,000 damage.
July 23, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bristol — 3 injured, $40,000 damage.
July 10, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bristol — 2 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Bristol's 2 ZIP codes have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $182,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 6% 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, 72 have fewer than Bristol.
Bristol city, which includes Bristol, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bristol City a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.9 million a year, the 123rd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.8 million (63%), 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 Bristol
- Bristol, TN4 mi
- Bluff City, TN11 mi
- Abingdon, VA12 mi
- Blountville, TN12 mi
- Nickelsville, VA15 mi
- Piney Flats, TN16 mi
- Castlewood, VA18 mi
- Lebanon, VA18 mi
- Elizabethton, TN19 mi
- Kingsport, TN21 mi
- Meadowview, VA21 mi
- Weber City, VA21 mi
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