NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Woodlawn, 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 Woodlawn, Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 23
- 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 Woodlawn
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Woodlawn; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Woodlawn begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 8 miles away. The 1900s 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, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Woodlawn. The highest rating among the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 23, 2022, came within 13 miles. Of the 23, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2022. Of the 364 Virginia cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Woodlawn. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 129 times since 1993, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Woodlawn has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 364 Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Woodlawn
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 58 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 Woodlawn: 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 Woodlawn
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s6
- 2000s5
- 1990s4
- 1970s5
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF2 | 13 mi | 1.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4.92 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 21, 1977 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2022 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1999 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1999 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Woodlawn
The Storm Prediction Center has 129 hail reports within 10 miles of Woodlawn since 1993, made on 68 separate days. Of these, 61 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 15, 2018. The most recent report is from August 30, 2024. June has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Woodlawn
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galax Radio Wbrf, VA, 6 miles southwest of Woodlawn at 2,385 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 45.7 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 75°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.7 inches is more than at 53 of the 109 Virginia stations used on this site (49%). Galax, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Galax Wtp, VA): 51.2 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 23 | 3.7 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 47 | 26 | 3.1 | 5 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 3.8 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 32 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.9 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 45.7 | 76 | 16.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Galax Radio Wbrf, VA (2,385 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 Woodlawn
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 211 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Woodlawn: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 51 flash floods, 29 floods, 12 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 11, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 51. Of the 364 Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 305 have had fewer than Woodlawn.
September 8, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Woodlawn — $2.0 million damage.
September 26, 2024: flood 10 miles from the centre of Woodlawn — $2.0 million damage.
January 30, 2013: flood 7 miles from the centre of Woodlawn — $1.5 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
Carroll County, which includes Woodlawn, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, on April 4, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carroll County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.9 million a year, the 53rd highest of 133 Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (37%), 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 Woodlawn
- Galax, VA7 mi
- Hillsville, VA8 mi
- Fries, VA10 mi
- Cana, VA11 mi
- Lowgap, NC13 mi
- Max Meadows, VA16 mi
- Ararat, VA18 mi
- Draper, VA18 mi
- Mount Airy, NC19 mi
- Willis, VA19 mi
- Independence, VA20 mi
- Wytheville, VA22 mi
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