Historical record — not a forecast
Norfolk
Norfolk, VA has had 43 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Barbara (1953, Category 1 Hurricane).
Location 01
Norfolk
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The historical record
Storm history
43 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Norfolk since 1851, based on NOAA’s HURDAT2 best-track data (1851-2025). Atlantic storm counts before the mid-20th century undercount storms that stayed at sea; aircraft reconnaissance began in the 1940s and systematic satellite coverage in 1966. Storms that struck populated coastline are the most reliably recorded part of the record.
By storm category
- Tropical Depression
- 9
- Tropical Storm
- 28
- Category 1 Hurricane
- 6
By decade
- 1850s
- 2
- 1870s
- 2
- 1880s
- 4
- 1890s
- 1
- 1900s
- 1
- 1910s
- 1
- 1930s
- 2
- 1940s
- 1
- 1950s
- 5
- 1960s
- 6
- 1970s
- 3
- 1980s
- 3
- 1990s
- 2
- 2000s
- 5
- 2010s
- 4
- 2020s
- 1
Strongest & most recent
- Strongest on record
- Barbara (1953, Category 1 Hurricane, 75 kt) passed within 60.4 km in 1953
- Most recent
- Chantal (2025, Tropical Depression, 25 kt) passed within 73.8 km in 2025
- Coordinates
- 36.92301, -76.24464
- Basin
- atlantic
Notable storms on record
- Connie (1955) — Category 1 Hurricane, 75 kt, passed within 70.5 km on 1955-08-13
- Barbara (1953) — Category 1 Hurricane, 75 kt, passed within 60.4 km on 1953-08-14
- Charley (1986) — Category 1 Hurricane, 70 kt, passed within 61.5 km on 1986-08-18
- Irene (2011) — Category 1 Hurricane, 65 kt, passed within 54.5 km on 2011-08-28
- Ione (1955) — Category 1 Hurricane, 65 kt, passed within 60.4 km on 1955-09-20
- Unnamed storm (1933) — Category 1 Hurricane, 65 kt, passed within 66.6 km on 1933-08-23
- Bertha (1996) — Tropical Storm, 60 kt, passed within 71.7 km on 1996-07-13
- Doria (1971) — Tropical Storm, 55 kt, passed within 52.3 km on 1971-08-28
Historical return intervals
These are plain historical averages — years of record divided by how many times a storm of that strength has passed within 75 km. They are not a probability or a forecast of a future storm; they describe how often storms of each strength have occurred in the past.
- Tropical storm strength or greater
- on average every 5.1 years, historically
- Hurricane strength
- on average every 29.2 years, historically
- Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
- none on record
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Norfolk?
Since 1851, 43 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Norfolk, VA, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.
What was the strongest storm to affect Norfolk?
Barbara (1953, Category 1 Hurricane, 75 kt) passed within 60.4 km in 1953, reaching Category 1 Hurricane strength.
Is this a hurricane forecast for Norfolk?
No. This page presents only historical, already-occurred storm data. It contains no forecast, prediction, or safety or evacuation guidance. Return-interval figures above are historical averages, not a probability of a future storm. See our methodology.