NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ringgold, 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
32 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ringgold, Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 47 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 47
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Ringgold
The strongest storm to pass near Ringgold was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1896, whose centre came within 14 miles. The record near Ringgold begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 64 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 32 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Ringgold has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 33% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 47 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on September 27, 2024, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on April 27, 2011, killed 1 person. Of the 47, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on September 4, 2025. Ringgold has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Ringgold has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 364 Virginia cities.
Compare Ringgold's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ringgold
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 62 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 14 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 50 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ringgold: 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 Ringgold
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s13
- 2000s8
- 1990s9
- 1980s1
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 17 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 6.85 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF2 | 16 mi | 32.75 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 26.24 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Oct 27, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 27, 1995 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1964 | F2 | 9 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 4, 2025 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 47, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ringgold
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Ringgold since 1956, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on September 28, 2016. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. May has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ringgold
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danville Regional Airport, VA, 3 miles southwest of Ringgold at 571 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 43.8 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (23.5 of 43.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 32 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 81°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.6 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 43.8 inches is more than at 31 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (28%). Providence, NC, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Danville 2 SE, VA): 47.1 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 3.4 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 45 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 36 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 30 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 43.8 | 75 | 7.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danville Regional Airport, VA (571 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 Ringgold
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 362 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ringgold: 289 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 floods, 27 flash floods, 10 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 4, 2003. September has had the most flash floods, 9 of 27. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Ringgold.
October 11, 2018: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Ringgold — $2.6 million damage.
NWS: “Halifax County was included in a Presidential Major Disaster declaration due to the severe flooding associated with Tropical Storm Michael. Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches in several hours triggered widespread flash flooding across the county with numerous roads closed and extensive damage.”
September 17, 2018: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Ringgold — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Pittsylvania County was part of Presidential Major Disaster declaration with significant flood damage to roads and other structures. The time and spatial occurrence was based on the highest runoff from the CREST hydrologic model.”
June 13, 2013: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Ringgold — $750,000 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
Pittsylvania County, which includes Ringgold, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 7 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 Pittsylvania County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.5 million a year, the 33rd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.3 million (75%), 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 Ringgold
- Providence, NC8 mi
- Danville, VA8 mi
- Blanch, NC9 mi
- Blairs, VA10 mi
- Pelham, NC13 mi
- Alton, VA13 mi
- Dry Fork, VA14 mi
- Yanceyville, NC15 mi
- Ruffin, NC17 mi
- Chatham, VA19 mi
- Roxboro, NC21 mi
- South Boston, VA22 mi
All Virginia cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Ringgold with another place →