NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Keswick, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Keswick, Virginia since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Keswick
The strongest storm to pass near Keswick was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 96 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 8 miles. The record near Keswick begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 4 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 25 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Keswick has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on July 25, 1985, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 30, 1959, killed 11 people. Of the 52, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2022. Keswick has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Keswick.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Keswick
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 30 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 24 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 8 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 65 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Keswick: 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 Keswick
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7
- 2000s18
- 1990s5
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s4(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 11 / 4 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Jul 25, 1985 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 11 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1962 | F2 | 18 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2022 | EF1 | 13 mi | 21.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF1 | 19 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Keswick
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Keswick since 1974, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 25, 2022. The most recent report is from June 16, 2023. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Keswick
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monticello, VA, 7 miles west of Keswick at 758 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 47.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 25 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.0 inches is more than at 70 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (64%). Troy, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Palmyra 3S, VA): 43.7 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 2.7 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 2.7 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 55 | 35 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 66 | 45 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 73 | 54 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 63 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 58 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 48 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 3.5 | 6 | 4.4 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 47.0 | 78 | 15.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monticello, VA (758 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 Keswick
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 337 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Keswick: 266 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 floods, 19 flash floods, 10 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 25, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 19. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 172 have had fewer than Keswick.
June 6, 2002: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Keswick — 3 injured, $18,000 damage.
June 24, 2010: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Keswick — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
April 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Keswick — 1 injured, $5,000 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
Albemarle County, which includes Keswick, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on October 1, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Albemarle County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $40.3 million a year, the 8th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.5 million (68%), 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 Keswick
- Troy, VA6 mi
- Charlottesville, VA9 mi
- Barboursville, VA10 mi
- Zion Crossroads, VA10 mi
- Palmyra, VA11 mi
- Earlysville, VA12 mi
- Ruckersville, VA15 mi
- Louisa, VA16 mi
- Scottsville, VA17 mi
- Orange, VA20 mi
- Stanardsville, VA20 mi
- Crozet, VA22 mi
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