Hurricanes that hit Mathews County, Virginia: hurricane history

34 storms have passed within 50 km of Mathews County from 1856 to 2021, 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 Mathews County

The record holds 34 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Mathews County, Virginia between 1856 and 2021. The busiest month is September, with 14 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 1 strength. 1 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 34storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 4at 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 Mathews County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression39%
Tropical storm2676%
Category 1412%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity13%

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

Mathews County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 6 in 1880s.1850s1870s1900s1930s1960s1980s2000s2020s

The 2020s only run to 2021, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1856, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s2
1860s2
1870s2
1880s6
1900s1
1910s1
1930s2
1950s2
1960s4
1970s3
1980s2
1990s2
2000s2
2010s1
2020s2

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 14 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May2Jun1Jul8Aug7Sep14Oct2Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May2
Jun1
Jul8
Aug7
Sep14
Oct2
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Mathews County

  • Unnamed storm of August 1933 (North Atlantic)13 August 1933 to 28 August 1933, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 948 hPa
  • Connie (1955)3 August 1955 to 15 August 1955, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 944 hPa
  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, Category 1 (70 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1935 (North Atlantic)29 August 1935 to 10 September 1935, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (160 kt), 892 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1859 (North Atlantic)9 September 1859 to 22 September 1859, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (70 kt)

Most recent storms near Mathews County

  • Elsa (2021)30 June 2021 to 10 July 2021, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 991 hPa
  • Isaias (2020)28 July 2020 to 5 August 2020, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 986 hPa
  • Ana (2015)6 May 2015 to 12 May 2015, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 998 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.

Notable storms near Mathews County

  • Floyd (1999)7 September 1999 to 19 September 1999, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 921 hPa
  • Ginger (1971)6 September 1971 to 6 October 1971, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 959 hPa

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