Hurricanes that hit Mecklenburg County, Virginia: hurricane history

36 storms have passed within 50 km of Mecklenburg County from 1859 to 2025, 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 Mecklenburg County

The record holds 36 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Mecklenburg County, Virginia between 1859 and 2025. The busiest month is September, with 18 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 2 strength. 1 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 36storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 6at 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 Mecklenburg County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression822%
Tropical storm2158%
Category 1514%
Category 213%
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).

Mecklenburg County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 7 in 1880s.1850s1870s1890s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s

The 2020s only run to 2025, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1859, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s1
1860s2
1870s1
1880s7
1890s3
1900s2
1930s1
1940s2
1950s1
1960s2
1970s3
1980s1
1990s2
2000s4
2010s1
2020s3

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 18 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun2Jul4Aug6Sep18Oct6Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun2
Jul4
Aug6
Sep18
Oct6
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Mecklenburg County

  • Isabel (2003)6 September 2003 to 20 September 2003, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 915 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1893 (North Atlantic)25 September 1893 to 15 October 1893, Category 1 (80 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 955 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of October 1899 (North Atlantic)26 October 1899 to 4 November 1899, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (95 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of September 1896 (North Atlantic)22 September 1896 to 30 September 1896, Category 1 (70 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (110 kt), 960 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

Most recent storms near Mecklenburg County

  • Chantal (2025)4 July 2025 to 7 July 2025, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 1,002 hPa
  • Ophelia (2023)21 September 2023 to 24 September 2023, peak Tropical storm (60 kt), 981 hPa
  • Elsa (2021)30 June 2021 to 10 July 2021, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 991 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 Mecklenburg County

  • Isabel (2003)6 September 2003 to 20 September 2003, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 915 hPa
  • Fran (1996)23 August 1996 to 10 September 1996, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 946 hPa

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