NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harrisonburg, 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 Harrisonburg, Virginia since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 25
- 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 Harrisonburg
The strongest storm to pass near Harrisonburg was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 40 miles. The record near Harrisonburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 57 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 Harrisonburg. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on April 28, 2011, came within 15 miles. Of the 25, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on August 6, 2020. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Harrisonburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Harrisonburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harrisonburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 64 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 40 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 33 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 Harrisonburg: 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 Harrisonburg
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6
- 2000s7
- 1990s4
- 1970s3
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 33.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 6, 1960 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F2 | 9 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 2013 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 3 mi | 2.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 4 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 4.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2009 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 2005 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harrisonburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Harrisonburg since 1962, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently May 15, 2025. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harrisonburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dale Enterprise, VA, 3 miles west of Harrisonburg at 1,358 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 23°F. July is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.9 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (20.6 of 38.9 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 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.9 inches is more than at 1 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (1%). Grottoes, 14 miles south, has its own station (Waynesboro Wtp, VA): 45.4 inches a year, 6.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 23 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 46 | 24 | 2.2 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 54 | 30 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 55 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 43 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 56 | 33 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 2.9 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Year | 65 | 42 | 38.9 | 77 | 19.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dale Enterprise, VA (1,358 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 Harrisonburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 241 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harrisonburg: 161 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 floods and 31 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 24, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 31. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 256 have had fewer than Harrisonburg.
May 30, 2025: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Harrisonburg — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A new building which was under construction collapsed.”
August 3, 2002: thunderstorm wind in Harrisonburg — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Two roofs were blown off and numerous trees and utility lines were downed.”
May 4, 1996: thunderstorm wind in Harrisonburg — $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 Harrisonburg's 2 ZIP codes have filed 66 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 10 claims (15% of all) and $27,000, then Hurricane Fran in 1996 with 10. 36% 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, 113 have fewer than Harrisonburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 10 | $27,000 |
| Hurricane Fran1996 | 10 | $93,000 |
Harrisonburg city, which includes Harrisonburg, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harrisonburg City a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 62nd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 million (63%), 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 Harrisonburg
- Dayton, VA6 mi
- Mount Crawford, VA6 mi
- Bridgewater, VA8 mi
- Mcgaheysville, VA9 mi
- Weyers Cave, VA11 mi
- Broadway, VA12 mi
- Grottoes, VA14 mi
- Elkton, VA14 mi
- Mount Sidney, VA14 mi
- Shenandoah, VA14 mi
- Timberville, VA15 mi
- Mount Solon, VA15 mi
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