NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Washington, DC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
33 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Washington, District of Columbia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Washington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 2 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1992 | DanielleSep 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1963 | Unnamed 1963 stormJun 3 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 28 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormNov 1 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 57 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 10 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 26 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Washington: 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 Washington
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s28
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s29
- 1980s4
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2001 | F3 | 2 mi | 17.5 mi | 2 / 55 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | F3 | 8 mi | 17.9 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Apr 1, 1973 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.8 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 23 mi | 11.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 24, 1996 | F2 | 13 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 5, 1995 | F2 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 13, 1983 | F2 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1978 | F2 | 23 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1978 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1971 | F2 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Washington while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.