Hurricanes that hit Lexington city, Virginia: hurricane history

11 storms have passed within 50 km of Lexington city from 1878 to 2004, 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 Lexington city

The record holds 11 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Lexington city, Virginia between 1878 and 2004. The busiest month is September, with 6 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached tropical storm strength.

  • 11storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 0at 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 Lexington city?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression545%
Tropical storm655%
Category 100%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity00%

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

Lexington city storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 2 in 1990s.1870s11890s11920s11940s11950s11960s11970s11980s11990s22000s1

The 2000s only run to 2004, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1878, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1870s1
1890s1
1920s1
1940s1
1950s1
1960s1
1970s1
1980s1
1990s2
2000s1

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 Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun0Jul1Aug3Sep6Oct1Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun0
Jul1
Aug3
Sep6
Oct1
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Lexington city

  • Unnamed storm of August 1893 (North Atlantic)15 August 1893 to 2 September 1893, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 954 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1878 (North Atlantic)1 September 1878 to 13 September 1878, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 970 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1949 (North Atlantic)23 August 1949 to 1 September 1949, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 954 hPa
  • Able (1952)18 August 1952 to 3 September 1952, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (85 kt), 983 hPa
  • David (1979)25 August 1979 to 8 September 1979, Tropical storm (40 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 924 hPa

Most recent storms near Lexington city

  • Ivan (2004)2 September 2004 to 24 September 2004, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 hPa
  • Dennis (1999)24 August 1999 to 8 September 1999, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 962 hPa
  • Fran (1996)23 August 1996 to 10 September 1996, Tropical storm (40 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 946 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 Lexington city

  • Fran (1996)23 August 1996 to 10 September 1996, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 946 hPa

More in Virginia

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