NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hot Springs, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hot Springs, Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Hot Springs
The strongest storm to pass near Hot Springs was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Hot Springs 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 2 systems each. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 74% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Hot Springs. The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 17 miles. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hot Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1980, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hot Springs.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hot Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 60 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 18 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 Hot Springs: 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 Hot Springs
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF0 | 17 mi | 1.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1975 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | Unrated | 21 mi | 2.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hot Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Hot Springs since 1980, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 3, 2011. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May and July have the most reports, 6 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hot Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gathright Dam, VA, 4 miles southwest of Hot Springs at 1,770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.2 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (20.0 of 40.2 inches). September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 75°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 40.2 inches is more than at 6 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (6%). Clifton Forge, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Covington Fltr Plt, VA): 39.4 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 2.9 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 2.7 | 6 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 40.2 | 81 | 18.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gathright Dam, VA (1,770 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 Hot Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hot Springs: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 5 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $500,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 14, 2004. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Hot Springs.
September 14, 2019: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “A 12-year old male went outside to play in a wooden area after rain had stopped falling, and a thunderstorm had moved out of the area. Lightning struck the child.”
April 16, 2011: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains caused flooding of low lying areas including public and private roads. Some businesses and homes were also flooded.”
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
Bath County, which includes Hot Springs, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bath County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.9 million a year, the 124th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.8 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 Hot Springs
- Clifton Forge, VA12 mi
- Covington, VA16 mi
- Marlinton, WV18 mi
- White Sulphur Springs, WV20 mi
- Eagle Rock, VA21 mi
- Lexington, VA26 mi
- Craigsville, VA30 mi
- Fincastle, VA32 mi
- Lewisburg, WV32 mi
- Buchanan, VA32 mi
- Glasgow, VA33 mi
- Buena Vista, VA34 mi
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