Hurricanes that hit Powhatan County, Virginia: hurricane history

21 storms have passed within 50 km of Powhatan County from 1861 to 2020, 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 Powhatan County

The record holds 21 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Powhatan County, Virginia between 1861 and 2020. The busiest month is September, with 9 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.

  • 21storms 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 Powhatan County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression733%
Tropical storm1048%
Category 1314%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity15%

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

Powhatan County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 4 in 1880s.1860s21870s21880s41890s21910s11940s11960s11970s42000s32020s1

The 2020s only run to 2020, 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
1860s2
1870s2
1880s4
1890s2
1910s1
1940s1
1960s1
1970s4
2000s3
2020s1

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 9 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun1Jul2Aug3Sep9Oct6Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul2
Aug3
Sep9
Oct6
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Powhatan County

  • 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 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 1863 (North Atlantic)11 September 1863 to 20 September 1863, peak Tropical storm (60 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of October 1899 (North Atlantic)26 October 1899 to 4 November 1899, Tropical storm (55 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (95 kt)

Most recent storms near Powhatan County

  • Zeta (2020)24 October 2020 to 30 October 2020, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (95 kt), 973 hPa
  • Jeanne (2004)13 September 2004 to 29 September 2004, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 951 hPa
  • Ivan (2004)2 September 2004 to 24 September 2004, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 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 Powhatan County

  • Isabel (2003)6 September 2003 to 20 September 2003, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 915 hPa
  • Ginger (1971)6 September 1971 to 6 October 1971, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 959 hPa

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