NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Haysi, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Haysi, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 7 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 7
- 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 Haysi
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Haysi; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Haysi begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 95% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Haysi. The strongest of the 7 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on May 8, 2009; its path came within 16 miles. Of the 7, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on April 4, 2011. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Haysi. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1993, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Haysi.
Compare Haysi's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Haysi
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Haysi: 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 Haysi
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 5 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 2009 | EF0 | 20 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1998 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 7 of 7, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Haysi
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Haysi since 1993, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 4, 1993. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Haysi
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clintwood 1W, VA, 12 miles southwest of Haysi at 1,566 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 49.2 inches over 98 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.2 inches is more than at 91 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (83%). Vansant, 10 miles east, has its own station (Grundy, VA): 46.9 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 3.7 | 9 | 11.5 |
| Feb | 47 | 24 | 3.9 | 8 | 10.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 29 | 4.4 | 9 | 6.6 |
| Apr | 68 | 38 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.8 |
| May | 74 | 48 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 56 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 40 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 55 | 30 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 46 | 25 | 4.3 | 9 | 7.6 |
| Year | 64 | 40 | 49.2 | 98 | 38.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Clintwood 1W, VA (1,566 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 Haysi
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 142 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Haysi: 98 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 20 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on November 12, 2003. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 23. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 207 have had fewer than Haysi.
May 16, 2023: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Haysi — 1 killed.
NWS: “A tree fell down onto an occuipied vehicle on Welcome Lane near the town of Vicey. The occupant of the car, a sixty-five year old man, died as a result.”
February 12, 2020: heavy rain event 10 miles from the centre of Haysi — $250,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Haysi — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and large branches were blown down in scattered locations about the county. Electricity was lost to around 800 customers.”
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 Haysi's ZIP code 24256 have filed 44 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $192,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 29 claims (66% of all) and $111,000. 66% 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, 86 have fewer than Haysi.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 29 | $111,000 |
Dickenson County, which includes Haysi, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dickenson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.0 million a year, the 97th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.3 million (65%), 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 Haysi
- Elkhorn City, KY8 mi
- Clintwood, VA9 mi
- Vansant, VA10 mi
- Grundy, VA14 mi
- Oakwood, VA16 mi
- Jenkins, KY18 mi
- Pound, VA18 mi
- Virgie, KY19 mi
- Coeburn, VA20 mi
- Hurley, VA20 mi
- Honaker, VA21 mi
- Phelps, KY22 mi
All Virginia cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Haysi with another place →