Norfolk,Virginia's history with tropical systems
Current weather

(br)=brush (ts)=Tropical Storm (bd)=Back Door,meaning coming from over land from opposite coast.Not all names are noted,also storms before 1950 were not named.Not every stat on every storm description is given(since 1871).

Years within 60 miles
1876bd,1878bd,1879,1889bdts,1893bdbr,1893tsbr,1894br,1894bd,1897tsbr,1901br,1904bdts,1912bdtsbr,1918bdbr,1925tsbr,1928bdts
1933ts,1933br,1935bdbr,1936,1944tsbr,1944ts,1946bdtsbr,1953br,1954bdbr,1955ts,1955tsbr,1959bdts,1960bdts,1960bdbr,1961bdts,1964bdtsbr
1967bdts,1971bdts,1972bdtsbr,1985br,1986,1992tsbr,1996-97bdts,1999,2003 bd br,2004 tsbdbr
42 times in 137yrs end of 2007

Names from list above
Barbara,Hazel,connie,Ione,Flossy,Donna,Doria,Bret,Dean,Gloria,Charley,Danielle
,Bertha,Bonnie,Floyd ,Isabel,Charley

How often this area gets affected?
brushed or hit every 3.24 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(7h)once every 19.58 years

Statistically when this area should be affected next
before the end of the 2008 season
This is just a statistical average & does not mean the area will be affected by that year

Last affected by
2004 August 14th T-storm Charley brushes just east with 50mph winds.

This areas hurricane past
1876 September 17 - Average 5 minute wind speed at Cape Henry was 78 mph; 8.32" of rain
1877 in october a system that maintained hurricane force winds after hitting the gulf coast moved northeast over the Carolinas and Virginia. many buildings were blown down and roofs torn off, numerous marine disasters
1878 a hurricane hits with a press of 28.78 eye made landfall at Cape Fear and moved north across Richmond and Washington DC.
1879 August. The eye passed about 50 miles west of Norfolk. Tide in Norfolk 7.77 ft at Low tide. Average 5-minute wind speed at Cape Henry was 76 mph with estimated gusts to 100 mph. Fastest 1 minute at Norfolk was 72 mph and the pressure reached 29.26 inches
1887 October 31 - Average 5 minute wind speed at Cape Henry 78 mph. The storm caused a record number of marine disasters.
1893 August 23 - Average 5 minute wind speed at Cape Henry 88 mph.
1894 September 29 - Five minute wind speed at Cape Henry 80 mph; gusts to 90 mph.
1903 October 10 - Average 5 minute wind speed at Cape Henry 74 mph, the tide in Norfolk reached 9 feet above Mean Lower Low Water
1924 August 26 - Average I minute wind speed 72 mph at Cape Henry.
1928 September 19 - Fastest 1 minute wind speed at Cape Henry 72 mph. The tide reached 7.16 feet above Mean Lower Low Water in Norfolk.
1933 a 9ft storm surge with a brush from a hurricane aug 23rd,18 killed highest Gust 88mph even though this system was nearly 100 miles away.
1935 the remnants of the great labor day hurricane that hit the fla keys spawned several tonadoes in virginia causing many injuries.
1936 September 18 - The fastest 1 minute wind speed was 84 mph at Cape Henry and 68 mph at the NWS City Office. The tide reached 9.3 feet above Mean Lower Low Water and is the second highest tide of record.
1944 sept 14th a hurricane hits with 135mph sustained winds with gusts to 150mph very heavy damage,46 killed
1954 October 15 - HAZEL. Fastest 1 minute wind speed was 78 mph at Norfolk Airport with gusts to 100 mph which is the highest wind speed of record for the Norfolk Airport location. A reliable instrument in Hampton recorded 130 mph.
1960 September 12 - DONNA. Fastest I minute wind speed was 73 mph at Norfolk Airport, 80 mph at Cape Henry and estimated 138 mph at Chesapeake Light Ship. Lowest pressure of 28.65 inches holds the area record for a tropical storm. 3 deaths.
1972 Agnes was only a tropical storm when it dropped torrential rains that lead to devastating floods in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Sixteen people died in Virginia and damage was estimated at 222 million dollars (1972 dollars).
1979 tropical storm David passes well to the west ,even though not considered a brush several tornadoes touched down.
1985 in September Hurricane Gloria passed 45 miles east of Cape Henry as a cat 3.Highest gust here was 104mph caused 5.5 million in damage in Virginia.300,000 without power in Hampton roads. more on Hurricane Gloria here
1986 Hurricane Charley hits after passing over East N.C with 80mph winds,Norfolf on weak side of storm
1997 former hurricane Danny regains strength after being downgraded to T depression regains T.S Strength & hits from the west with 50mph winds many trees down
aug 27th & 28th 1998 hurricane Bonnie passes to the S.E with 75mph winds causing minor damage here while passing 45 miles to the S.E
1999 sept 17 hurricane Floyd passes over the area with 75mph winds from the south,causes heavy flooding of souns from storm surge as well as from very heavy rain. Lowest Pressure 28.85" - 977 MB - 4 th lowest of record. 10-20" of rain on saturated ground resulted in 500 year flood of record for Franklin, VA. WFO Wakefield was inaccessible for 36 hours.
2003 Sept 18th Hurricane Isabel,although technically a brush being over 75 miles to the west upon passage this Cat 1 downgrading to TS status caused high wind gusts to 80mph in Norfolk. This caused some structural damage & many trees down.Newspaper headline


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