NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Damascus, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Damascus, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 24
- 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 Damascus
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Damascus; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Damascus begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The 1900s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Damascus. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 8 miles. Of the 24, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on May 12, 2017. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Damascus. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1997, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Damascus.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Damascus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 56 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 Damascus: 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 Damascus
By decade
- 2010s8(1 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s4
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 8 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 9 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 25, 1975 | F2 | 11 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 3, 1962 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 10 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2005 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2002 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1998 | F1 | 17 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Damascus
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Damascus since 1997. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 9 days, most recently May 26, 2024. The most recent report is from May 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Damascus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mountain City 2, TN, 11 miles south of Damascus at 2,419 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.3 inches is more than at 75 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (69%). Glade Spring, 10 miles north, has its own station (Saltville 1N, VA): 48.2 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 23 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 49 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 57 | 31 | 4.1 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 67 | 39 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 49 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 56 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 41 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 31 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 49 | 26 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Year | 66 | 41 | 47.3 | 87 | 12.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mountain City 2, TN (2,419 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 Damascus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Damascus: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $181.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 2, 2003. September has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Damascus.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Damascus — 1 killed, $61.0 million damage.
November 25, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Damascus — 1 injured, $55,000 damage.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Damascus — $120.0 million 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 Damascus's ZIP code 24236 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $671,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 68% 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, 50 have fewer than Damascus.
Washington County, which includes Damascus, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.4 million a year, the 43rd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 million (69%), 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 Damascus
- Glade Spring, VA10 mi
- Meadowview, VA11 mi
- Chilhowie, VA12 mi
- Mountain City, TN12 mi
- Abingdon, VA13 mi
- Lansing, NC15 mi
- Saltville, VA19 mi
- Marion, VA19 mi
- Zionville, NC21 mi
- Bristol, TN23 mi
- Bristol, VA23 mi
- Butler, TN23 mi
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