NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Louisa, 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
31 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Louisa, Virginia since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 53 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 53
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Louisa
The strongest storm to pass near Louisa was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 96 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 8 miles. The record near Louisa begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 10 miles away. The 1880s and the 1890s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 31 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Louisa has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 1, 1998, came within 25 miles. Of the 53, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2022. Louisa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Louisa.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Louisa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 14 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 39 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 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 49 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Louisa: 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 Louisa
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s11
- 2000s13
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1998 | F3 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 25, 1985 | F3 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1977 | F3 | 19 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 10 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1965 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1962 | F2 | 6 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2022 | EF1 | 7 mi | 21.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF1 | 3 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 53, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Louisa
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Louisa since 1960, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 16, 2022. The most recent report is from April 15, 2024. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Louisa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisa, VA, 4 miles northeast of Louisa at 420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. September is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 44.2 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 44.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 31 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 44.2 inches is more than at 35 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (32%). Troy, 12 miles west, has its own station (Palmyra 3S, VA): 43.7 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 3.0 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 2.7 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 33 | 3.7 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 34 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 28 | 3.3 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 44.2 | 74 | 15.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisa, VA (420 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 Louisa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 181 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Louisa: 150 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $869,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 4, 2008. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Louisa.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Louisa — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Several large trees, power poles, power lines and branches were downed countywide. Trees were reported down on homes and cars in Mineral.”
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
Louisa County, which includes Louisa, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, on March 11, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Louisa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.1 million a year, the 52nd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (44%), 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 Louisa
- Mineral, VA10 mi
- Troy, VA12 mi
- Zion Crossroads, VA12 mi
- Bumpass, VA15 mi
- Keswick, VA16 mi
- Orange, VA16 mi
- Palmyra, VA17 mi
- Unionville, VA18 mi
- Barboursville, VA19 mi
- Goochland, VA21 mi
- Partlow, VA21 mi
- Beaverdam, VA22 mi
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