NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pearisburg, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pearisburg, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 13
- 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 Pearisburg
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pearisburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Pearisburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 40 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pearisburg. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 8, 2011, came within 17 miles. Of the 13, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on August 31, 2021. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pearisburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1995, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Pearisburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pearisburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 58 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 Pearisburg: 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 Pearisburg
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s6
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 23 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF1 | 18 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1987 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pearisburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Pearisburg since 1995, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 27, 2011. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pearisburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pearisburg 4 SSE, VA, 3 miles east of Pearisburg at 1,678 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. May and July are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (21.2 of 42.3 inches). September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 22.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 42.3 inches is more than at 16 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (15%). Dublin, 13 miles south, has its own station (Pulaski 2 E, VA): 40.2 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 3.1 | 6 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 55 | 31 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 73 | 48 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 31 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 3.3 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 42.3 | 81 | 22.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pearisburg 4 SSE, VA (1,678 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 Pearisburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 181 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pearisburg: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 floods, 28 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on August 9, 2019. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 28. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 238 have had fewer than Pearisburg.
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Pearisburg — 1 injured, $2,500 damage.
NWS: “A few trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds in the Pearisburg area. One tree fell onto a tent and one of the occupants was injured.”
March 13, 2010: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Pearisburg — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains caused numerous streams to come out of their banks, resulting in significant flash flooding in Giles County. Numerous roads were closed across Giles County, and at least 20 roads were damaged due to flood waters Emergency Management reported 93 homes in the county were affected by flood waters.”
May 22, 2020: flood 6 miles from the centre of Pearisburg — $970,000 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 Pearisburg's ZIP code 24134 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $258,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 19% 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, 31 have fewer than Pearisburg.
Giles County, which includes Pearisburg, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Giles County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.4 million a year, the 92nd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (81%), 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 Pearisburg
- Narrows, VA5 mi
- Pembroke, VA6 mi
- Peterstown, WV10 mi
- Dublin, VA13 mi
- Radford, VA15 mi
- Princeton, WV16 mi
- Pulaski, VA17 mi
- Athens, WV18 mi
- Blacksburg, VA19 mi
- Christiansburg, VA21 mi
- Bland, VA22 mi
- Draper, VA22 mi
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