Virginia's hurricane history

Oct. 19, 1749: A large hurricane raised the Chesapeake Bay 15 feet and washed up the 800 acres of sand that forms Willoughby Spit.

Sept. 3, 1821: One of the most violent hurricanes on record, its eye passed over Norfolk damaging homes, bridges and ships. Aug. 23, 1933: The hurricane caused 18 deaths and $79 million in damage in Virginia. Tidewater was paralyzed by loss of communication, electricity, water service and roads. The highest wind speed was 88 mph in Norfolk.

Sept. 14, 1944, the "Great Hurricane": Heavy rain and high winds lashed the Virginia Beach area, producing extensive damage along the coast. The wind reached 134 mph and gusted to 150 mph at Cape Henry.

Oct. 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel: In Hampton, winds gusted to 130 mph, in Blackstone to 92 mph and in Richmond to 79 mph. Damage in Norfolk alone reached $3.5 million with 1,800 homes and businesses damaged. Hundreds of thousands of trees blew down, taking with them half the state's phone and electric lines. Shenandoah Valley turkey growers lost 150,000 to 250,000 turkeys when poultry sheds were wrecked.

Aug. 20, 1969, Hurricane Camille: Camille's remnants dropped nearly 31 inches of rain in Virginia. Flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people, mostly in Nelson County. The flooding cut communications between Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley. Waynesboro on the South River saw 8 feet of water in downtown. Statewide damage was estimated at $113 million.

June 21, 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes: Agnes produced devastating floods in Virginia: 16 inches of rain dropped on Fairfax County. In Richmond, the water supply, sewage-treatment, electric and gas plants were inundated. Sixteen people died in Virginia, and damage was estimated at $222 million.

Sept. 5-6, 1996, Hurricane Fran: Fran dropped 8 inches of rain over the mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. In just one hour, some areas saw 3.5 inches of rain. Six people died and damage totaled near $350 million. A then-record number of Virginians -- 560,000 -- lost power.

Sept. 15-16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd: Rain from Floyd averaged 10-20 inches in a path 50 to 75 miles wide over southeast Virginia. The James River Bridge at Hampton Roads recorded a wind gust of 100 mph. Damage reached $255 million with 64 jurisdictions affected.

Sept. 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabel: Isabel killed 32 people in the state and turned 100 Virginia localities into disaster areas. The storm destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 homes and almost 1,500 businesses, and left nearly 80 percent of the state's population without power. Total damage was $1.9 billion.