NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grottoes, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Grottoes, Virginia since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Grottoes
The strongest storm to pass near Grottoes was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 36 miles. The record near Grottoes begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 44 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 67% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Grottoes. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 25, 1985, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 30, 1959, killed 11 people. Of the 33, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on April 26, 2022. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Grottoes. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grottoes.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grottoes
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 59 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 36 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 37 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 Grottoes: 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 Grottoes
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s9
- 1990s3
- 1980s1(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s3
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.8 mi | 11 / 4 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Jul 25, 1985 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 29, 1963 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1960 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F2 | 9 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F2 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 26, 2022 | EF1 | 13 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2013 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 9 mi | 2.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grottoes
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Grottoes since 1970, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently August 15, 2019. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. June has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grottoes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waynesboro Wtp, VA, 12 miles south of Grottoes at 1,270 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 45.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 5.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. That 45.4 inches is more than at 48 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (44%). Weyers Cave, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Dale Enterprise, VA): 38.9 inches a year, 6.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 48 | 25 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 55 | 31 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Apr | 66 | 40 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 3.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Sep | 78 | 55 | 5.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 68 | 43 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 33 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 47 | 27 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Year | 66 | 42 | 45.4 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waynesboro Wtp, VA (1,270 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 Grottoes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grottoes: 89 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 floods and 9 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $995,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 18, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 9. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 55 have had fewer than Grottoes.
June 23, 2006: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Grottoes — $500,000 damage.
June 22, 2006: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Grottoes — $125,000 damage.
July 6, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Grottoes — $100,000 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 Grottoes's ZIP code 24441 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $103,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 67% 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, 19 have fewer than Grottoes.
Augusta County, which includes Grottoes, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Augusta County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.3 million a year, the 20th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.0 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 Grottoes
- Weyers Cave, VA6 mi
- Crimora, VA6 mi
- Mount Sidney, VA7 mi
- Mount Crawford, VA8 mi
- Verona, VA10 mi
- Mcgaheysville, VA10 mi
- Crozet, VA11 mi
- Waynesboro, VA13 mi
- Fishersville, VA13 mi
- Harrisonburg, VA14 mi
- Bridgewater, VA14 mi
- Elkton, VA15 mi
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