NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Honaker, 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 Honaker, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Honaker
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Honaker; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Honaker begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 59 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 95% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Honaker. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 21 miles. Of the 13, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2011. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Honaker. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1995, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Honaker.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Honaker
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Honaker: 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 Honaker
By decade
- 2010s3(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s2
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 8.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 6 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 25, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1996 | F1 | 9 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF0 | 16 mi | 4.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2009 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 2009 | EF0 | 4 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1990 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Honaker
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Honaker since 1995, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 18, 1995. The most recent report is from August 7, 2021. July has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Honaker
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lebanon, VA, 9 miles south of Honaker at 1,912 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 23°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.9 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.9 inches is more than at 56 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (51%). Raven, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Richlands, VA): 44.8 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 23 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 3.7 | 8 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 57 | 31 | 4.2 | 9 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 67 | 40 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 49 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 41 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 57 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 48 | 26 | 3.9 | 8 | 2.0 |
| Year | 66 | 41 | 45.9 | 92 | 12.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lebanon, VA (1,912 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 Honaker
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 120 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Honaker: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 11 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 2, 2004. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Honaker.
March 4, 2015: flood 8 miles from the centre of Honaker — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
February 6, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Honaker — $1.9 million damage.
February 6, 2020: flood 10 miles from the centre of Honaker — $691,000 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
Russell County, which includes Honaker, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Russell County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.8 million a year, the 67th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.8 million (54%), 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 Honaker
- Raven, VA10 mi
- Richlands, VA12 mi
- Lebanon, VA12 mi
- Cedar Bluff, VA13 mi
- Oakwood, VA14 mi
- Vansant, VA14 mi
- Saltville, VA16 mi
- Pounding Mill, VA17 mi
- Castlewood, VA19 mi
- Grundy, VA19 mi
- Meadowview, VA20 mi
- Haysi, VA21 mi
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