NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Prospect, 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
34 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Prospect, Virginia since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Prospect
The strongest storm to pass near Prospect was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 15 miles. The record near Prospect begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 70 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 34 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Prospect has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on February 24, 2016, came within 8 miles. Of the 24, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2022. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Prospect. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Prospect.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Prospect
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 32 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 19 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 15 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 69 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Prospect: 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 Prospect
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF3 | 8 mi | 16.89 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jun 16, 1966 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1983 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1974 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1960 | F2 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1957 | F2 | 11 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2022 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2019 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2018 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 10 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Prospect
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Prospect since 1977, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 13, 1998. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Prospect
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Farmville 2 N, VA, 9 miles east of Prospect at 450 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 26°F. September is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.5 of 44.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 44.4 inches is more than at 37 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (34%). Pamplin, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Appomattox, VA): 46.3 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 3.0 | 6 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 59 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 35 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 29 | 3.7 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 44.4 | 75 | 6.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Farmville 2 N, VA (450 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 Prospect
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 208 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Prospect: 152 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 heavy rain events, 20 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $600,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 12, 2010. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 184 have had fewer than Prospect.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Prospect — $140,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were downed. Structural damage also occurred.”
May 5, 1996: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Prospect — $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
Prince Edward County, which includes Prospect, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Prince Edward County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.1 million a year, the 79th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.0 million (28%), 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 Prospect
- Pamplin, VA7 mi
- Farmville, VA8 mi
- Appomattox, VA15 mi
- Dillwyn, VA16 mi
- Charlotte Court House, VA17 mi
- Meherrin, VA18 mi
- Buckingham, VA19 mi
- Spout Spring, VA20 mi
- Keysville, VA20 mi
- Burkeville, VA21 mi
- Cumberland, VA22 mi
- Concord, VA23 mi
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