NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montpelier, 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
39 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Montpelier, Virginia since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 35
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Montpelier
The strongest storm to pass near Montpelier was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 2 hurricane with 97 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hazel in 1954, whose centre came within 7 miles. The record near Montpelier begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 59 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 39 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Montpelier has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 1, 1998, came within 6 miles. Of the 71, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2024. Montpelier has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1960, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Montpelier.
Compare Montpelier's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Montpelier
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 7 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 29 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 31 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 53 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 Montpelier: 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 Montpelier
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s19
- 2000s19
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1998 | F3 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1977 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 7.5 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 8, 1962 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 24, 1969 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1951 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Aug 8, 2024 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2022 | EF1 | 14 mi | 21.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Montpelier
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Montpelier since 1960, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 13 days, most recently July 18, 2025. The most recent report is from July 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montpelier
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ashland, VA, 12 miles east of Montpelier at 220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 39 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.3 inches is more than at 46 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (42%). Rockville, 6 miles south, has its own station (Crozier, VA): 44.9 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 3.3 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 2.8 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 60 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 71 | 45 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 60 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 48 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 37 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 30 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 45.3 | 75 | 14.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ashland, VA (220 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 Montpelier
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 142 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montpelier: 120 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 heavy rain events, 7 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $467,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 25, 2012. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 30 have had fewer than Montpelier.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Montpelier — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Large trees were downed on Coatesville Road near Beaverdam. Structural damage also occurred.”
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
Hanover County, which includes Montpelier, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, on March 11, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hanover County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.5 million a year, the 17th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.4 million (54%), 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.