NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Painter, 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
78 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Painter, Virginia since 1851, 15 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 15
- Tropical storms
- 63
- Tornadoes
- 14
- 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 Painter
The strongest storm to pass near Painter was an unnamed storm in 1944, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1924, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Painter begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 8 systems. Of the 78 systems, 14 have come since 2000. Painter has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 96% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 2, 1973, came within 8 miles. Of the 14, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 3. The most recent tornado was on August 4, 2015. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Painter. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 12 times since 1957, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Painter.
Compare Painter's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Painter
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | FayJul 10 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 28 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 31 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 15 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 25 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1986 | CharleyAug 18 | 35 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 54 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | DeanSep 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 20 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1967 | DoriaSep 16 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 14 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 56 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 10 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 18 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | IoneSep 20 | 65 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1953 | BarbaraAug 14 | 41 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 14 | 69 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormSep 30 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormSep 18 | 64 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 49 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 3 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 2 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormOct 25 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 21 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 29 | 60 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 17 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 10 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 18 | 29 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 72 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormOct 30 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 18 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 10 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 25 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Painter: 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 Painter
By decade
- 2010s5
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s4
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 1973 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1969 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2014 | EF1 | 21 mi | 7.69 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 11, 1995 | F1 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1977 | F1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1974 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1967 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 4, 2015 | EF0 | 23 mi | 1.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 2012 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2010 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.45 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 14, 2007 | EF0 | 6 mi | 6.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Painter
The Storm Prediction Center has 12 hail reports within 10 miles of Painter since 1957, made on 11 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 30, 1957. The most recent report is from August 5, 2022. April has the most reports, 3.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Painter
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Painter 2 W, VA, 1 mile west of Painter at 30 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 30°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 47.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 78 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (30); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.4 inches is more than at 78 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (72%). Parksley, 16 miles northeast, has its own station (Wallops Island Flight Fac, VA): 43.3 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 88°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Wachapreague, VA, 6 miles east, averaged 83°F in July and 42°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Wachapreague tide gauge, 6 miles from Painter, has risen 2.24 ± 0.12 inches per decade from 1978 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 22.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 127 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 30 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.4 | 42 |
| Feb | 51 | 31 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.5 | 44 |
| Mar | 58 | 37 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.5 | 52 |
| Apr | 68 | 47 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 61 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 69 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 | 78 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 83 |
| Aug | 86 | 67 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 | 81 |
| Sep | 80 | 62 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 | 76 |
| Oct | 71 | 51 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Nov | 60 | 41 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 | 55 |
| Dec | 52 | 34 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.2 | 45 |
| Year | 68 | 49 | 47.4 | 76 | 6.6 | 63 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Painter 2 W, VA (30 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Wachapreague, VA, 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.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Painter
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 83 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Painter: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 heavy rain events, 11 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $630,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on August 19, 2024. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 11. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Painter.
August 25, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Painter — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
October 8, 2016: flood 6 miles from the centre of Painter — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Painter's ZIP code 23420 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $48,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 94% 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, 34 have fewer than Painter.
Accomack County, which includes Painter, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Accomack County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for coastal flooding; Relatively High for hurricanes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.2 million a year, the 15th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.2 million (42%), is from hurricanes.
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.