Lunenburg County, Virginia Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Lunenburg County, Virginia as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1859, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lunenburg County, Virginia — about one every 6.2 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Chantal (2025), which passed 29 miles away on 7 July 2025.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.2

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 3TS / TD · 24

The 27 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentChantal (2025) — 29 mi away, 7 July 2025
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1893) — 72 kt (83 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1893) — 8.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles13 of 27
Peak monthSeptember — 12 storms (44% of all)
Most active year1886 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1859–2025

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Lunenburg County, Virginia, September is the most active month, with 12 of the 27 recorded storms (44%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 85% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 7 storms. 0 of the 27 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	1	3	6	12	5	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 6 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	0	0	7	3	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	2	1	1	4	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Chantal (2025)	7 Jul 2025	29.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	40.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	42.1 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Hanna (2008)	6 Sep 2008	48.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Jeanne (2004)	28 Sep 2004	26.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Gaston (2004)	30 Aug 2004	44.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Isabel (2003)	19 Sep 2003	19.4 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Fran (1996)	6 Sep 1996	45.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Danny (1985)	18 Aug 1985	22.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	16 Sep 1976	9.8 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Ginger (1971)	2 Oct 1971	12.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Camille (1969)	20 Aug 1969	23.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Cleo (1964)	31 Aug 1964	49.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Diane (1955)	18 Aug 1955	27.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	2 Aug 1944	13.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	15 Sep 1904	47.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	31 Oct 1899	20.4 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	30 Sep 1896	40.1 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	13 Oct 1893	8.9 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	24 Sep 1889	36.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	11 Sep 1888	25.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	2 Jul 1886	45.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	22 Jun 1886	10.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	13 Oct 1885	20.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1883)	12 Sep 1883	18.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	11 Sep 1882	17.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	17 Sep 1859	21.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 10 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here. Showing the 8 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Ophelia (2023)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2023	35.4 mi	28 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 2000	4.4 mi	20 kt
Hazel (1954)	Post-tropical	15 Oct 1954	18.3 mi	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	Post-tropical	18 Sep 1945	7.2 mi	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 1944	45.5 mi	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	2 Oct 1929	21.6 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	Post-tropical	11 Aug 1928	14.3 mi	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	12 Oct 1902	32.9 mi	35 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1859–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Lunenburg County, Virginia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Lunenburg County, Virginia ranks #600 — more exposed than 72.8% of them. Within Virginia it ranks #43 of 133, against a state average of 23.5 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 9 miles away on 13 October 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 40 miles away on 30 September 1896 as a hurricane, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Isabel (2003) passed 19 miles away on 19 September 2003 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1904) passed 47 miles away on 15 September 1904 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.

25 of the 27 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 40 years, between 1904 and 1944. It has been 0 years since the last one; 24 of the 24 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Lunenburg County, Virginia?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lunenburg County, Virginia at hurricane strength since 1859. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 27.

When was the last hurricane in Lunenburg County, Virginia?

Isabel (2003), on 19 September 2003, passing 19 miles away — 23 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Chantal (2025) in 2025.

What was the strongest storm to affect Lunenburg County, Virginia?

Unnamed Storm (1893), which reached 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 9 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Lunenburg County, Virginia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.2 years — 27 storms over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Lunenburg County, Virginia borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Brunswick County, Virginia has 35 on record.

Brunswick County, Virginia35 storms within 50 mi Mecklenburg County, Virginia32 storms within 50 mi Charlotte County, Virginia24 storms within 50 mi Nottoway County, Virginia23 storms within 50 mi Prince Edward County, Virginia23 storms within 50 mi