Skip to content

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oakton, 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

27 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Oakton, Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
3

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
24

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
106

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

6 deaths in all

What the records show for Oakton

The strongest storm to pass near Oakton was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Oakton begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 56 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 27 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Oakton has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 33% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 2002; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 106, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2024. Oakton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 189 times since 1961, with stones up to 5 inches. Oakton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 364 Virginia cities.

Compare Oakton's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oakton

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Oakton, Virginia, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020ZetaOct 2956 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 3
2020IsaiasAug 457 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 1
2008HannaSep 673 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
2006ErnestoSep 234 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1979DavidSep 664 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 5
1955DianeAug 1823 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 2
1955ConnieAug 1341 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 4
1954HazelOct 1512 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 4
1952AbleSep 118 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2931 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 1839 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormAug 258 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1943Unnamed 1943 stormOct 134 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1917 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1933Unnamed 1933 stormAug 248 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 4
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 230 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 2023 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 5
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 45 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormOct 1275 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1899Unnamed 1899 stormNov 135 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 3069 miTropical storm (70 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 2330 miTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 1440 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2911 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 3
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1337 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 237 miCategory 1 (92 mph)Category 2
1876Unnamed 1876 stormSep 1810 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Oakton: 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 Oakton

By decade

  • 2020s12
  • 2010s26
  • 2000s26(2 EF3+)
  • 1990s22
  • 1980s6
  • 1970s7(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s2
  • 1950s5
Strongest tornadoes near Oakton, Virginia
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Apr 28, 2002F425 mi38 mi3 / 122
Sep 24, 2001F319 mi17.5 mi2 / 55
Sep 5, 1979F37 mi17.9 mi1 / 6
Apr 1, 1973F35 mi9.8 mi0 / 37
Sep 17, 2004F25 mi15 mi0 / 1
Sep 17, 2004F219 mi4 mi0 / 0
Sep 17, 2004F222 mi13 mi0 / 0
Jun 24, 1996F23 mi20 mi0 / 1
Oct 5, 1995F221 mi2.5 mi0 / 3
Sep 27, 1993F219 mi3 mi0 / 2
Oct 13, 1983F27 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jul 28, 1981F26 mi0.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Oakton

The Storm Prediction Center has 189 hail reports within 10 miles of Oakton since 1961, made on 92 separate days. Of these, 124 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on July 2, 1968. The most recent report is from August 29, 2024. May has the most reports, 47.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Oakton since 2019 →

Weather by month in Oakton

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vienna, VA, 2 miles east of Oakton at 418 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 23°F. May and July are the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (22.7 of 43.5 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 27 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal October there has highs of 65°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 99 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 43.5 inches is more than at 25 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (23%). Herndon, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Washington Dc Dulles Airport, VA): 43.2 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 84°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Washington, DC, 16 miles east, averaged 84°F in July and 39°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Washington tide gauge, 16 miles from Oakton, has risen 1.40 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1924 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 14.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 84 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Vienna, VA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow inWater °F
Jan42233.376.539
Feb45242.667.541
Mar53323.872.050
Apr65413.470.060
May72524.380.069
Jun80614.180.077
Jul84674.360.084
Aug82653.560.082
Sep76574.260.076
Oct65453.550.066
Nov56353.150.154
Dec46283.472.442
Year644443.57718.562

Averages for 1991–2020 at Vienna, VA (418 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Washington, DC, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Virginia weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Oakton

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 1,118 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oakton: 628 thunderstorm wind reports, 296 floods, 191 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 6 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $12.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 23, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 91 of 191. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 357 have had fewer than Oakton.

  • June 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Oakton — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.

  • July 25, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Oakton — 1 killed.

  • September 8, 2011: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Oakton — 1 killed.

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

Flood insurance policyholders in Oakton's ZIP code 22124 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $14,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 8% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 183 Virginia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 19 have fewer than Oakton.

Fairfax County, which includes Oakton, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 5 snowstorms, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fairfax County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes; Relatively Low for tornadoes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $219.1 million a year, the highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $154.7 million (71%), 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 Oakton