Hurricanes that hit Richmond city, Virginia: hurricane history

25 storms have passed within 50 km of Richmond city 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 Richmond city

The record holds 25 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Richmond city, Virginia between 1859 and 2025. The busiest month is September, with 11 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 2 strength. 2 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 25storms 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 Richmond city?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression936%
Tropical storm1144%
Category 128%
Category 214%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity28%

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

Richmond city storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 5 in 1880s.1850s11860s21870s31880s51890s11930s11940s11960s11970s31980s12000s42020s2

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
1870s3
1880s5
1890s1
1930s1
1940s1
1960s1
1970s3
1980s1
2000s4
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 11 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun1Jul5Aug4Sep11Oct4Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul5
Aug4
Sep11
Oct4
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Richmond 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
  • Isabel (2003)6 September 2003 to 20 September 2003, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 915 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)
  • Isaias (2020)28 July 2020 to 5 August 2020, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 986 hPa

Most recent storms near Richmond city

  • Chantal (2025)4 July 2025 to 7 July 2025, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 1,002 hPa
  • Isaias (2020)28 July 2020 to 5 August 2020, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 986 hPa
  • Hanna (2008)28 August 2008 to 8 September 2008, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 977 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 Richmond city

  • Ginger (1971)6 September 1971 to 6 October 1971, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 959 hPa

More in Virginia

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