NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wirtz, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Wirtz, Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 38 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 38
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Wirtz
The strongest storm to pass near Wirtz was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Wirtz begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm directly overhead. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 3 systems. Of the 15 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site, 74% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Wirtz. The strongest of the 38 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 19, 2019; its path came within 9 miles. Of the 38, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 8 each. The most recent tornado was on September 27, 2024. Wirtz has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 364 Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 118 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Wirtz has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 364 Virginia cities.
Compare Wirtz's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wirtz
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 44 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 2 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 Wirtz: 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 Wirtz
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s6
- 1980s1
- 1970s5
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF3 | 9 mi | 8.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.85 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 13 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 18 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 15, 1996 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1996 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1994 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 25, 1977 | F2 | 22 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1964 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1953 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 38, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wirtz
The Storm Prediction Center has 118 hail reports within 10 miles of Wirtz since 1956, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 4, 1993. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 40 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wirtz
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rocky Mt, VA, 10 miles southwest of Wirtz at 1,315 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 26°F. September is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 49.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 49.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 5.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.3 inches is more than at 92 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (84%). Hardy, 8 miles north, has its own station (Roanoke Regional Airport, VA): 43.0 inches a year, 6.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 26 | 3.9 | 7 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 49.3 | 80 | 12.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rocky Mt, VA (1,315 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 Wirtz
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 282 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wirtz: 234 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 11 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 4, 2006. September has had the most flash floods, 7 of 24. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 213 have had fewer than Wirtz.
August 10, 2022: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Wirtz — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
June 17, 2022: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Wirtz — 1 injured, $500 damage.
May 21, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Wirtz — $2.1 million 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
Franklin County, which includes Wirtz, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.0 million a year, the 48th highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.9 million (72%), 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.