NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Belvoir, 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
32 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fort Belvoir, Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Belvoir
The strongest storm to pass near Fort Belvoir was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 93 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Fort Belvoir begins with an unnamed storm in 1872; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 42 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 32 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Fort Belvoir has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 33% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 2002; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 99, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on March 31, 2022. Fort Belvoir has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 101 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Fort Belvoir has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Belvoir
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 22 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 50 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | overhead | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fort Belvoir: 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 Fort Belvoir
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s24
- 2000s25(2 EF3+)
- 1990s26
- 1980s5
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2002 | F4 | 11 mi | 38 mi | 3 / 122 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.5 mi | 2 / 55 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F3 | 7 mi | 17.9 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Jan 26, 1978 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 1, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 9.8 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1996 | F2 | 9 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 5, 1995 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 27, 1994 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1983 | F2 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Belvoir
The Storm Prediction Center has 101 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Belvoir since 1958, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 66 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 11, 2004. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Belvoir
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oxon Hill, MD, 11 miles northeast of Fort Belvoir at 190 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.1 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.4 of 47.1 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 32 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal October there has highs of 68°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. That 47.1 inches is more than at 73 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (67%). Springfield, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Vienna, VA): 43.5 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 88°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Washington, DC, 14 miles northeast, averaged 84°F in July and 39°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Washington tide gauge, 14 miles from Fort Belvoir, has risen 1.40 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1924 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 14.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 84 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 | 39 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 2.9 | 6 | 41 |
| Mar | 56 | 35 | 4.0 | 7 | 50 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 3.4 | 7 | 60 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 4.5 | 9 | 69 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 77 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 5.0 | 7 | 84 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 4.2 | 7 | 82 |
| Sep | 80 | 61 | 4.4 | 6 | 76 |
| Oct | 68 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 | 66 |
| Nov | 57 | 39 | 3.1 | 5 | 54 |
| Dec | 48 | 31 | 3.8 | 7 | 42 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 47.1 | 81 | 62 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oxon Hill, MD (190 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Washington, DC, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Fort Belvoir
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 680 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Belvoir: 448 thunderstorm wind reports, 127 floods, 101 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 6 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $20.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 13, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 33 of 101. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 333 have had fewer than Fort Belvoir.
May 16, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fort Belvoir — 1 killed, $250,000 damage.
May 16, 2025: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Fort Belvoir — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees blew down near the intersection of Pole Road and Frye Road, including one onto a vehicle killing the occupant.”
June 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fort Belvoir — 1 killed, $10,000 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
Fairfax County, which includes Fort Belvoir, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fairfax County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes; Relatively Low for tornadoes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $219.1 million a year, the highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $154.7 million (71%), 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 Fort Belvoir
- Lorton, VA2 mi
- Springfield, VA5 mi
- Alexandria, VA6 mi
- Bryans Road, MD7 mi
- Burke, VA8 mi
- Indian Head, MD8 mi
- Accokeek, MD8 mi
- Annandale, VA9 mi
- Fairfax Station, VA9 mi
- Woodbridge, VA9 mi
- Fort Washington, MD10 mi
- Falls Church, VA11 mi
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