NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Draper, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Draper, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Draper
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Draper; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Draper begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 22 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Draper. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 23, 2022, came within 22 miles. Of the 16, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 4. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Draper. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Draper has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Draper
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 58 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 Draper: 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 Draper
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 4 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Aug 21, 1977 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF1 | 3 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 23, 1999 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1987 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Draper
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Draper since 1984, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 21, 1984. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Draper
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pulaski 2 E, VA, 6 miles north of Draper at 2,080 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.2 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (19.9 of 40.2 inches). September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 3.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.2 inches is more than at 6 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (6%). Max Meadows, 8 miles west, has its own station (Wytheville, VA): 41.8 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 3.2 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 54 | 31 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.6 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 32 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.5 |
| Year | 64 | 42 | 40.2 | 76 | 15.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pulaski 2 E, VA (2,080 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 Draper
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 161 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Draper: 102 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 floods, 24 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $15.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 7, 2006. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 24. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 213 have had fewer than Draper.
September 26, 2024: flood 3 miles from the centre of Draper — $7.0 million damage.
NWS: “91 feet (166,945 cfs) at 11:15 PM EDT on Sept. 27th (28/0315 UTC) due to heavy rain associated with Tropical Cyclone Helene.”
September 27, 2024: flood 2 miles from the centre of Draper — $7.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flood waters along the New River were observed rising an average of 2 feet per hour during the flooding associated with Hurricane Helene. At the height of the damage inflicted by Helene, Claytor Lake had a debris field that was 4+ miles long, covered 250+ acres, and weighed an estimated 240 tons.”
April 13, 2020: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Draper — $312,000 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 Draper's ZIP code 24324 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $660,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 12 claims (67% of all) and $585,000. 72% 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, 38 have fewer than Draper.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 12 | $585,000 |
Pulaski County, which includes Draper, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pulaski County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.3 million a year, the 46th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.6 million (76%), 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 Draper
- Pulaski, VA6 mi
- Max Meadows, VA8 mi
- Dublin, VA11 mi
- Radford, VA16 mi
- Hillsville, VA16 mi
- Wytheville, VA17 mi
- Willis, VA17 mi
- Bland, VA17 mi
- Woodlawn, VA18 mi
- Riner, VA21 mi
- Fries, VA21 mi
- Pearisburg, VA22 mi
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