NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rural Retreat, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rural Retreat, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 9
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Rural Retreat
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rural Retreat; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Rural Retreat begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 31 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rural Retreat. The strongest of the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 9, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2022. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rural Retreat. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1995, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rural Retreat.
Compare Rural Retreat's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rural Retreat
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rural Retreat: 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 Rural Retreat
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3(1 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1970s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 23 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Jan 25, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2005 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1959 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1975 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rural Retreat
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Rural Retreat since 1995, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from August 31, 2018. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rural Retreat
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wytheville, VA, 12 miles northeast of Rural Retreat at 2,458 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 13 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (12%). Marion, 14 miles west, has its own station (Saltville 1N, VA): 48.2 inches a year, 6.4 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 | 42 | 24 | 3.2 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 54 | 31 | 3.6 | 8 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 31 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 41.8 | 83 | 18.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wytheville, VA (2,458 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 Rural Retreat
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rural Retreat: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $26.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 17, 2006. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Rural Retreat.
April 19, 2015: flood 10 miles from the centre of Rural Retreat — 1 killed.
July 1, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Rural Retreat — 2 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A cluster of severe thunderstorms over western Wythe County produced numerous pockets of wind damage. Several homes sustained shingle damage and one had a roof blown off along Old Stage Road.”
September 27, 2024: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Rural Retreat — $25.4 million damage.
NWS: “Runoff from continued heavy rain resulted in numerous roads becoming flooded and impassible across Smyth County per reports from the public and from the Smyth County 911 Dispatch Center.”
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
Wythe County, which includes Rural Retreat, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 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 Wythe County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.9 million a year, the 44th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (43%), 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 Rural Retreat
- Wytheville, VA11 mi
- Marion, VA14 mi
- Fries, VA19 mi
- Independence, VA19 mi
- Bland, VA20 mi
- Tazewell, VA20 mi
- Max Meadows, VA20 mi
- North Tazewell, VA22 mi
- Chilhowie, VA22 mi
- Bluefield, VA23 mi
- Galax, VA26 mi
- Saltville, VA26 mi
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