NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Toano, 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
60 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Toano, Virginia since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 9
- Tropical storms
- 51
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Toano
The strongest storm to pass near Toano was an unnamed storm in 1879, a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1933, whose centre came within 6 miles. The record near Toano begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 5 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems. Of the 60 systems, 12 have come since 2000. Toano has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 90% of the 364 Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on April 16, 2011, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on February 24, 2016, killed 3 people. Of the 68, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on March 5, 2025. Toano has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1989, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 364 Virginia cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Toano.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Toano
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 28 | 75 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | GastonAug 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 55 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 24 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 25 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1983 | DeanSep 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 10 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 60 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 23 | 6 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 12 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 38 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 59 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 10 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 18 | 75 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 16 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 26 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 25 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 27 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 20 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 10 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Toano: 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 Toano
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 26.47 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1993 | F3 | 18 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1986 | F3 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1984 | F3 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 19, 1978 | F3 | 25 mi | 35.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 10 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1984 | F2 | 3 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 24 mi | 8.86 mi | 3 / 8 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF1 | 11 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Toano
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Toano since 1989, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 11, 1999. The most recent report is from April 16, 2011. August has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Toano
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Williamsburg 2 N, VA, 9 miles southeast of Toano at 70 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 31°F. July is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and February and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 51.4 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (28.5 of 51.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 60 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 81°F and 5.4 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 68 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.4 inches is more than at 99 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (91%). Lanexa, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (W Pt 2 NW, VA): 48.1 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Yorktown USCG Training Center, VA, 22 miles southeast, averaged 81°F in July and 43°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from July to August. Sea level at the Yorktown tide gauge, 22 miles from Toano, has risen 1.91 ± 0.06 inches per decade from 1950 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 19.1 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 116 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 31 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.7 | 43 |
| Feb | 52 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.6 | 43 |
| Mar | 60 | 39 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.2 | 50 |
| Apr | 70 | 48 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.1 | 59 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 68 |
| Jun | 84 | 65 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 | 76 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.0 | 81 |
| Aug | 87 | 69 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 81 |
| Sep | 81 | 63 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 77 |
| Oct | 71 | 51 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 | 68 |
| Nov | 61 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 | 58 |
| Dec | 53 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.7 | 48 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 51.4 | 81 | 4.3 | 63 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Williamsburg 2 N, VA (70 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Yorktown USCG Training Center, VA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Toano
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 204 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Toano: 106 thunderstorm wind reports, 70 heavy rain events, 16 flash floods, 8 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $567,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on January 11, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 143 have had fewer than Toano.
March 21, 2011: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Toano — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
June 13, 2013: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Toano — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “State officials reported numerous trees and power lines down throughout the county with widespread damage. The most significant damage occurred in the Windy Hill Mobile Home Park where several mobile homes were severely damaged.”
June 13, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Toano — $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
James City County, which includes Toano, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 2, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives James City County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.2 million a year, the 25th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.7 million (53%), 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 Toano
- Lanexa, VA5 mi
- Williamsburg, VA10 mi
- West Point, VA11 mi
- Providence Forge, VA12 mi
- Charles City, VA15 mi
- Gloucester, VA16 mi
- Saluda, VA17 mi
- New Kent, VA17 mi
- Spring Grove, VA18 mi
- Quinton, VA20 mi
- King William, VA20 mi
- Hayes, VA20 mi
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