NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richlands, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Richlands, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 8
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Richlands
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richlands; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Richlands begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 58 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 99% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Richlands. The highest rating among the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 19 miles. Of the 8, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Richlands. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1997, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Richlands.
Compare Richlands's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richlands
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Richlands: 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 Richlands
By decade
- 2010s1(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s1
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 19 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 8.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 13 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 25, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 19, 1996 | F1 | 10 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 2009 | EF0 | 16 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Richlands
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Richlands since 1997, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently July 1, 2012. The most recent report is from August 7, 2021. July has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Richlands
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richlands, VA, in Richlands at 1,910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. July is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 44.8 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.8 inches is more than at 39 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (36%). Honaker, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Lebanon, VA): 45.9 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 3.4 | 8 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 48 | 25 | 3.3 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 56 | 31 | 4.0 | 9 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 66 | 39 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 74 | 49 | 4.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 41 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 31 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 48 | 26 | 3.8 | 8 | 3.4 |
| Year | 65 | 41 | 44.8 | 93 | 17.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Richlands, VA (1,910 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 Richlands
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richlands: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 19 floods, 13 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 23, 2010. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 27. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Richlands.
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Richlands — 5 injured, $770,000 damage.
February 6, 2020: flood 3 miles from the centre of Richlands — $1.9 million damage.
NWS: “). This was above the Moderate flood stage of 13 feet but below Major flood stage of 16 feet.”
February 6, 2020: flood 8 miles from the centre of Richlands — $691,000 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 Richlands's ZIP code 24641 have filed 158 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 30 claims (19% of all) and $119,000. The year with the most claims was 1978, with 45. 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, 149 have fewer than Richlands.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 30 | $119,000 |
Tazewell County, which includes Richlands, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 5 snowstorms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tazewell County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.2 million a year, the 35th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.5 million (76%), 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.