U.S. Virgin Islands hurricanes and tropical storms
Every recorded hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996 · 3 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 46 hurricane and tropical storm records in U.S. Virgin Islands from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.8 a year since 2000. The costliest was the November 16, 1999 hurricane ($46.1 million in 2025 dollars).
Hurricanes and tropical storms in U.S. Virgin Islands, 1996 to 2026
Tropical records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 461996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 2.8average
- Deaths
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $60Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 20118 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records common in U.S. Virgin Islands?
U.S. Virgin Islands averages about 2.8 hurricane and tropical storm records a year since 2000. The busiest year on record was 2011 (8).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
When is hurricane season in U.S. Virgin Islands?
80% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996 fell in August and September. The busiest month is August (32 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 2 · Aug 32 · Sep 5 · Oct 4 · Nov 3 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
The costliest hurricane and tropical storm records in U.S. Virgin Islands
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-11-16 | Hurricane Lenny · Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Croix Island · forecast zone St. Croix One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $46M | |
| 2004-09-14 | Tropical Storm Jeanne · Tropical StormSt. Croix Island · forecast zone St. Croix One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $9.7M | |
| 1998-09-21 | Hurricane Georges · Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Croix Island · forecast zone St. Croix One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $3.6M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records becoming more frequent in U.S. Virgin Islands?
U.S. Virgin Islands' count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | U.S. Virgin Islands | United States | U.S. Virgin Islands' share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 10 | 1,123 | 0.89% |
| 2000s | 11 | 4,928 | 0.22% |
| 2010s | 18 | 2,761 | 0.65% |
| 2020-26 | 7 | 2,697 | 0.26% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hurricane and tropical storm records in U.S. Virgin Islands
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-14 | Tropical StormSt. Croix Island · forecast zone St. Croix | 0 | 0 | $5.9M | |
| 2004-09-14 | Tropical StormSt. John Island and St. Thomas Island · forecast zone St. Thomas / St. John And Adjacent Islands | 0 | 0 | $3.7M | |
| 1999-11-16 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Thomas Island · forecast zone St. Thomas | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 1999-11-16 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Croix Island and 2 more · forecast zone St. John | 0 | 0 | $8.9M | |
| 1999-11-16 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Croix Island · forecast zone St. Croix | 0 | 0 | $35M | |
| 1998-09-21 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Thomas Island · forecast zone St. Thomas | 0 | 0 | $453K | |
| 1998-09-21 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Croix Island and 2 more · forecast zone St. John | 0 | 0 | $453K | |
| 1998-09-21 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Croix Island · forecast zone St. Croix | 0 | 0 | $2.7M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for hurricane and tropical storm records in U.S. Virgin Islands
FEMA has declared 20 disasters in U.S. Virgin Islands for hurricane and tropical storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name hurricane or tropical storm or typhoon in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 13 were major disasters, the latest on October 25, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-25 | DR-4841 | Tropical Storm Ernesto | 3 |
| 2024-08-18 | EM-3611 | Tropical Storm Ernesto | 3 |
| 2020-07-29 | EM-3531 | Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine | 3 |
| 2019-08-28 | EM-3418 | Hurricane Dorian | 3 |
| 2017-09-20 | DR-4340 | Hurricane Maria | 3 |
| 2017-09-18 | EM-3390 | Hurricane Maria | 3 |
| 2017-09-07 | DR-4335 | Hurricane Irma | 3 |
| 2017-09-05 | EM-3383 | Hurricane Irma | 3 |
| 2010-09-28 | DR-1939 | Hurricane Earl | 3 |
| 2008-10-29 | DR-1807 | Hurricane Omar | 3 |
| 2004-10-07 | DR-1567 | Tropical Storm Jeanne | 3 |
| 1999-11-23 | DR-1309 | Hurricane Lenny Major Declaration | 3 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.