NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jonesville, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Jonesville, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 20
- 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 Jonesville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jonesville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Jonesville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 99% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Jonesville. The highest rating among the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 6, 1980, came within 9 miles. Of the 20, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 2024. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jonesville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1961, with stones up to 5 inches. Jonesville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jonesville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 51 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 Jonesville: 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 Jonesville
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s4
- 2000s8
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 9 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | EF1 | 10 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF1 | 18 mi | 9.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2008 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jonesville
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Jonesville since 1961, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on April 23, 1968. The most recent report is from May 19, 2022. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jonesville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pennington Gap, VA, 9 miles northeast of Jonesville at 1,360 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 23°F. March is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 49.8 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 94 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (86%). Rose Hill, 11 miles west, has its own station (Baxter, KY): 52.3 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 23 | 4.4 | 8 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 4.4 | 7 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 59 | 32 | 4.9 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 69 | 40 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 42 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 26 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Year | 67 | 42 | 49.8 | 88 | 9.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pennington Gap, VA (1,360 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 Jonesville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 158 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jonesville: 134 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods, 9 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 16, 2023. April has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 55 have had fewer than Jonesville.
February 10, 2018: flood 6 miles from the centre of Jonesville — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads in Cranks, Evarts, and Harlan and elsewhere around the county were closed or impassable due to flooding. A written state of emergency was declared for Harlan County during the height of the flooding.”
April 17, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Jonesville — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Highway 421 was flooded near Cranks.”
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
Lee County, which includes Jonesville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 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 Lee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 45th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.6 million (75%), 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 Jonesville
- Pennington Gap, VA8 mi
- Rose Hill, VA11 mi
- Sneedville, TN12 mi
- Evarts, KY12 mi
- Harlan, KY13 mi
- Wallins Creek, KY17 mi
- Ewing, VA19 mi
- Duffield, VA20 mi
- Surgoinsville, TN22 mi
- Cumberland, KY22 mi
- Rogersville, TN22 mi
- Mooresburg, TN24 mi
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