NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsville, 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 Hillsville, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 23
- 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 Hillsville
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hillsville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Hillsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 6 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hillsville. The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 23, 2022, came within 7 miles. Of the 23, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2022. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hillsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 76 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Hillsville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hillsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 51 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 Hillsville: 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 Hillsville
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s7
- 2000s5
- 1990s4
- 1970s3
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF2 | 7 mi | 1.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.92 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 21, 1977 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | EF1 | 20 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hillsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 76 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsville since 1984, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 15, 2018. The most recent report is from August 30, 2024. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hillsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galax Radio Wbrf, VA, 14 miles southwest of Hillsville at 2,385 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 45.7 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.7 inches is more than at 53 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (49%). Cana, 10 miles south, has its own station (Mt Airy 2 W, NC): 50.4 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 23 | 3.7 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 47 | 26 | 3.1 | 5 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 3.8 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 32 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.9 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 45.7 | 76 | 16.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Galax Radio Wbrf, VA (2,385 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 Hillsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsville: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 4 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 11, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 20. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 184 have had fewer than Hillsville.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hillsville — $250,000 damage.
April 12, 2013: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Hillsville — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The Carroll County Emergency Management Director reported that five buildings were damage and several trees sere down approximately three miles northwest of Hillsville. A storage shed was pushed into one of the buildings.”
July 9, 2003: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Hillsville — $150,000 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
Carroll County, which includes Hillsville, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carroll County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.9 million a year, the 53rd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (37%), 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 Hillsville
- Woodlawn, VA8 mi
- Cana, VA10 mi
- Willis, VA12 mi
- Ararat, VA13 mi
- Galax, VA15 mi
- Draper, VA16 mi
- Fries, VA18 mi
- Mount Airy, NC18 mi
- Lowgap, NC18 mi
- Max Meadows, VA18 mi
- Pulaski, VA21 mi
- Riner, VA23 mi
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