NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Salem, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Salem, Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Salem
The strongest storm to pass near Salem was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Salem begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 21 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 74% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Salem. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on September 17, 2004, came within 17 miles. Of the 16, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. June and August have had the most tornadoes, 4 each. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Salem. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 182 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Salem has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Salem
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 64 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 22 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 Salem: 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 Salem
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 3 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1953 | F2 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 1 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2003 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1996 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1987 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Salem
The Storm Prediction Center has 182 hail reports within 10 miles of Salem since 1959, made on 94 separate days. Of these, 88 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 22, 2004. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. May has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Salem
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Roanoke Regional Airport, VA, 6 miles east of Salem at 1,175 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 29°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 43.0 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (22.5 of 43.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 43.0 inches is more than at 20 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (18%). Elliston, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Blacksburg NWSO, VA): 42.8 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 29 | 3.2 | 6 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 51 | 31 | 2.9 | 5 | 4.8 |
| Mar | 59 | 38 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 59 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 48 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Year | 68 | 48 | 43.0 | 74 | 14.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Roanoke Regional Airport, VA (1,175 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 Salem
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 401 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Salem: 235 thunderstorm wind reports, 69 flash floods, 61 floods, 27 heavy rain events and 9 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $11.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 3, 2006. July has had the most flash floods, 18 of 69. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 323 have had fewer than Salem.
May 13, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Salem — 1 killed, 2 injured, $500 damage.
July 3, 2013: flood 2 miles from the centre of Salem — 1 killed.
NWS: “Widespread flooding occurred across the City of Salem as several rounds of heavy rainfall occurred over several days. 48-hour rainfall amounts ending 12Z on the 4th ranged from 4 to 6 inches with isolated 8-inch totals.”
September 17, 2018: flood 8 miles from the centre of Salem — 1 killed.
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 Salem's ZIP code 24153 have filed 926 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $19.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 159 claims (17% of all) and $3.8 million, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 152 and Hurricane Michael in 2018 with 36. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 166. 41% 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, 173 have fewer than Salem.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 159 | $3.8 million |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 152 | $4.3 million |
| Hurricane Michael2018 | 36 | $1.8 million |
| Hurricane Fran1996 | 20 | $558,000 |
| October severe storms2015 | 12 | $114,000 |
Salem city, which includes Salem, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Salem City 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, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 61st highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.3 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 Salem
- Roanoke, VA6 mi
- Elliston, VA10 mi
- Daleville, VA12 mi
- Vinton, VA12 mi
- Troutville, VA13 mi
- Boones Mill, VA14 mi
- Shawsville, VA14 mi
- New Castle, VA16 mi
- Blue Ridge, VA17 mi
- Hardy, VA19 mi
- Blacksburg, VA19 mi
- Callaway, VA19 mi
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