Hurricanes that hit Alexandria city, Virginia: hurricane history

17 storms have passed within 50 km of Alexandria city from 1861 to 1955, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Alexandria city

The record holds 17 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Alexandria city, Virginia between 1861 and 1955. The busiest month is August, with 6 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 2 strength. 3 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 17storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 3at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Alexandria city?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression424%
Tropical storm741%
Category 1212%
Category 216%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity318%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Alexandria city storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 4 in 1860s.1860s41870s21880s21890s21910s11930s31940s11950s2

The 1950s only run to 1955, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1861, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1860s4
1870s2
1880s2
1890s2
1910s1
1930s3
1940s1
1950s2

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 6 in Aug.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun1Jul1Aug6Sep6Oct3Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul1
Aug6
Sep6
Oct3
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Alexandria city

  • Unnamed storm of October 1878 (North Atlantic)13 October 1878 to 25 October 1878, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 963 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1876 (North Atlantic)10 September 1876 to 20 September 1876, Category 1 (70 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 980 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1933 (North Atlantic)13 August 1933 to 28 August 1933, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 948 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1863 (North Atlantic)11 September 1863 to 20 September 1863, peak Tropical storm (60 kt)
  • Connie (1955)3 August 1955 to 15 August 1955, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 944 hPa

Most recent storms near Alexandria city

  • Connie (1955)3 August 1955 to 15 August 1955, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 944 hPa
  • Able (1952)18 August 1952 to 3 September 1952, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (85 kt), 983 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1943 (North Atlantic)28 September 1943 to 2 October 1943, peak Tropical storm (55 kt), 997 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

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