NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Max Meadows, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Max Meadows, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Max Meadows
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Max Meadows; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Max Meadows begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 24 miles away. The 1930s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Max Meadows. The highest rating among the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 23, 2022, came within 25 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2022. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Max Meadows. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Max Meadows has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Max Meadows
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 66 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 Max Meadows: 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 Max Meadows
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF2 | 25 mi | 1.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF1 | 11 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 23, 1999 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1979 | F1 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2009 | EF0 | 22 mi | 1.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2009 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Max Meadows
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of Max Meadows since 1984, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 21, 1984. The most recent report is from May 6, 2022. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Max Meadows
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wytheville, VA, 9 miles west of Max Meadows at 2,458 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (20.8 of 41.8 inches). Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 13 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (12%). Draper, 8 miles east, has its own station (Pulaski 2 E, VA): 40.2 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 3.2 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 54 | 31 | 3.6 | 8 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 31 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 41.8 | 83 | 18.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wytheville, VA (2,458 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 Max Meadows
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 134 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Max Meadows: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 floods, 19 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 7, 2006. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 19. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 172 have had fewer than Max Meadows.
September 26, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Max Meadows — $7.0 million damage.
September 26, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Max Meadows — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “08 feet (119,940 cfs) at 8:45 PM EDT on Sept. 27th (28/0045 UTC) due to heavy rain associated with Tropical Cyclone Helene.”
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Max Meadows — $300,000 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
Wythe County, which includes Max Meadows, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 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 Wythe County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.9 million a year, the 44th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (43%), 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 Max Meadows
- Draper, VA8 mi
- Wytheville, VA9 mi
- Pulaski, VA12 mi
- Bland, VA14 mi
- Fries, VA15 mi
- Woodlawn, VA16 mi
- Hillsville, VA18 mi
- Dublin, VA18 mi
- Galax, VA20 mi
- Rural Retreat, VA20 mi
- Willis, VA23 mi
- Radford, VA24 mi
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