NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eagle Rock, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Eagle Rock, Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 Eagle Rock
The strongest storm to pass near Eagle Rock was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Eagle Rock begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 37 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 12 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 74% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Eagle Rock. The strongest of the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on April 4, 1974; its path came within 25 miles. Of the 9, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on August 1, 2020. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Eagle Rock. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1986, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Eagle Rock.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eagle Rock
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 53 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 11 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 Eagle Rock: 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 Eagle Rock
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 25 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2003 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1996 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1955 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2020 | EF0 | 15 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF0 | 7 mi | 1.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1975 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Eagle Rock
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Eagle Rock since 1986, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 28, 2005. The most recent report is from April 2, 2024. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Eagle Rock
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Buchanan, VA, 13 miles southeast of Eagle Rock at 880 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.2 of 43.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 43.5 inches is more than at 25 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (23%). Clifton Forge, 10 miles north, has its own station (Covington Fltr Plt, VA): 39.4 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 3.2 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 57 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 59 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 3.5 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 43.5 | 73 | 11.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Buchanan, VA (880 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 Eagle Rock
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eagle Rock: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $985,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 29, 2012. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Eagle Rock.
July 3, 2013: flood 10 miles from the centre of Eagle Rock — 1 killed.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Eagle Rock — 13 injured, $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew thousands trees down countywide. Power lines also came down as a result of the strong winds and trees falling upon them.”
January 25, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Eagle Rock — $200,000 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 Eagle Rock's ZIP code 24085 have filed 73 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 28 claims (38% of all) and $502,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 15. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 15. 60% 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, 119 have fewer than Eagle Rock.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 28 | $502,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 15 | $325,000 |
Botetourt County, which includes Eagle Rock, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Botetourt County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 64th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.0 million (78%), 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 Eagle Rock
- Clifton Forge, VA10 mi
- Fincastle, VA11 mi
- Buchanan, VA12 mi
- Covington, VA13 mi
- Troutville, VA18 mi
- Daleville, VA19 mi
- Glasgow, VA20 mi
- Lexington, VA20 mi
- Blue Ridge, VA21 mi
- Hot Springs, VA21 mi
- New Castle, VA23 mi
- Thaxton, VA23 mi
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