NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Orange, 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
24 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Orange, Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Orange
The strongest storm to pass near Orange was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 94 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Orange begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 24 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Orange has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 33% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on September 24, 2001; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 30, 1959, killed 1 person. Of the 63, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Orange has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1971, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Orange has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Orange
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 19 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 5 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 50 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Orange: 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 Orange
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s8
- 2000s26(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2001 | F4 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 8 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 25, 1985 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 1959 | F3 | 24 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 9 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 13, 1983 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Orange
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Orange since 1971, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on September 6, 2012. The most recent report is from April 15, 2024. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Orange
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Piedmont Rsch Stn, VA, 2 miles west of Orange at 520 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 25°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 43.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (23.8 of 43.8 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 43.8 inches is more than at 31 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (28%). Barboursville, 14 miles west, has its own station (Somerset, VA): 45.1 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 25 | 2.9 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 2.6 | 5 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 3.6 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 59 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 46 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 3.4 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 43.8 | 72 | 16.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Piedmont Rsch Stn, VA (520 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 Orange
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 352 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Orange: 231 thunderstorm wind reports, 103 floods, 16 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 6, 2025. September has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 143 have had fewer than Orange.
December 31, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Orange — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
June 6, 2025: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Orange — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees blew down in the Rapidan and Locust Dale areas. A few trees fell onto houses.”
August 11, 2021: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Orange — $100,000 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
Orange County, which includes Orange, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 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 Orange County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.1 million a year, the 47th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.4 million (49%), 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 Orange
- Unionville, VA9 mi
- Zion Crossroads, VA10 mi
- Rhoadesville, VA12 mi
- Barboursville, VA14 mi
- Madison, VA16 mi
- Culpeper, VA16 mi
- Louisa, VA16 mi
- Ruckersville, VA18 mi
- Locust Grove, VA18 mi
- Mineral, VA19 mi
- Keswick, VA20 mi
- Troy, VA21 mi
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