NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bumpass, 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
37 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bumpass, Virginia since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 54 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 54
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Bumpass
The strongest storm to pass near Bumpass was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 96 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near Bumpass begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 69 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 37 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Bumpass has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 54 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 1, 1998, came within 10 miles. Of the 54, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2024. Bumpass has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1969, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bumpass.
Compare Bumpass's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bumpass
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 1 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 55 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 23 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 34 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bumpass: 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 Bumpass
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s13
- 2000s15
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1998 | F3 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1977 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1962 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 3 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 23 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1962 | F2 | 15 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2022 | EF1 | 18 mi | 21.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF1 | 10 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2018 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 54, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bumpass
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Bumpass since 1969, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 16, 2022. The most recent report is from July 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bumpass
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisa, VA, 14 miles northwest of Bumpass at 420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. September is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 44.2 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 44.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 37 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 44.2 inches is more than at 35 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (32%). Beaverdam, 7 miles east, has its own station (Ashland, VA): 45.3 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 3.0 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 2.7 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 33 | 3.7 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 34 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 28 | 3.3 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 44.2 | 74 | 15.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisa, VA (420 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 Bumpass
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 126 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bumpass: 106 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 8 heavy rain events and 4 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $459,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on May 4, 1996.
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
Louisa County, which includes Bumpass, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 snowstorms, 4 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 Louisa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.1 million a year, the 52nd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (44%), 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.