History shows more than 50 hurricanes have impacted Virginia.

The top 5 worst hurricanes to hit Virginia:

5. Hurricane Hazel (1954)

Wind gusts of over 100 mph were observed at the Weather Bureau office in Norfolk. Roofs were blown off, trees and power lines were toppled, windows were shattered, and awnings were torn. The naval station suffered mainly minor damage to its temporary installations. The tugboat Indian, carrying five barges, sank in the James River; four of the eight crew members drowned. One building was demolished and several others were damaged in Portsmouth. The ferry Princess Anne was beached into the docks at Kiptopeke. An unfinished vessel at the Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News broke from its moorings and was swept into the shore of the James River. The roof of the customs house was detached and landed on the street. In Richmond, 200 store fronts were damaged, while part of the steeple at Trinity Methodist Church was toppled. Additionally, a 150 ft microwave tower in Warsaw was knocked over.

Approximately 50 percent of residents in Virginia lost telephone and electrical service for six days. The storm damaged approximately 18,000 homes and businesses. Overall, there were 12 deaths and about $15 million in damage.

4. Hurricane Gaston (2004)

Gaston stalled over the Richmond metro and produced torrential rainfall for about 8 hours straight leading to unprecedented flooding across the area. The highest recorded rainfall was from Richmond’s West End, an astonishing 12.6 inches of rain. Eight people were killed as a direct result of the flooding.

As the storm tracked northward through Virginia as a tropical depression, it produced torrential rainfall, peaking at 12.60 inches in Richmond. The storm strengthened over Virginia, as it pivoted from a northerly track to a northeasterly track nearly over the Richmond area, which led to the afternoon of exceptional rainfall, with the epicenter over Richmond. There were also numerous reports of rainfall over 10 in, primarily in the central portions of the state. The heavy precipitation caused moderate to severe damage in Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico, and Prince George counties, where 350 homes and 230 businesses were damaged or destroyed, and many roads were closed due to high water. Hanover, Virginia reported almost a foot of rain. The heaviest-hit location was downtown Richmond, where 20 blocks of the city were under water. In the historic district, a brick building collapsed, and dozens of other structures received flood damage as water reached 10 ft in some places. It is estimated that 29 homes were declared uninhabitable. At the Richmond battlefield, a foot of standing water left $32,500 (2004 USD) in damage. Rushing water floated automobiles and crashed them into buildings in some parts of the city. Also, over 120 roads were closed within Richmond, with several more in other areas.

The stretch of Interstate 95 in the city was closed as flash flooding caused 20 traffic accidents. An intersection was closed due to a 30 ft crest because of flowing underground water. Along the James River, swift–water rescuers were required to bring people who were stranded in their cars to safety. Additionally, at least 1,000 people were forced from their homes. In total, damage from flooding in the city totaled to over $20 million (2004 USD) and nine people were killed, eight directly.

3. Hurricane Agnes (1972)

In Richmond, Agnes is known for producing the worst river flooding the River City has ever seen. The James River crested at an all-time high of 36.5 feet. This record-setting crest washed out all but one of the bridges across the river. Four people drowned after their car plunged into the swollen James River. A train bound for Washington D.C. stopped due to flooding in Richmond, which temporarily stranded 537 passengers.

The Peak Creek in western Virginia overflowed its banks, flooding a low-income housing area of Pulaski with water up to rooftops. At the height of the flooding, over 600 miles of highways were submerged, resulting in damage to roads in the state. Severe damage also occurred to sewers and water facilities. 95 houses were destroyed, and 4,393 others were damaged, while 125 mobile homes were destroyed and another 450 were significantly affected. Additionally, 205 small businesses were either damaged or destroyed. The Interstate 95 Purple Heart Bridge over northern Virginia's Occoquan River was severely damaged and closed when rammed by a large barge carried by floodwaters. In the Washington DC suburbs, the Alexandria reservoir Lake Barcroft emptied when its dam was undermined and breached.

Agnes left $222 million of damage and 13 deaths in her wake.

2. Hurricane Camille (1969)

Because the hurricane was expected to quickly dissipate over land, few were prepared for the flash flooding. Arriving in Virginia on the evening of August 19, Camille was no longer a hurricane, but it carried high amounts of moisture and contained sufficient strength and low pressure to pull in additional moisture.

A widespread area of western and central Virginia received over 8 inches of rain from Camille's remains, leading to significant flooding across the state. A total of 153 people lost their lives from blunt trauma sustained during mountain slides, related to the flash flooding, not drowning. More than 123 of these deaths, including 21 members of one family, the Huffmans, were in Nelson County. Seven victims of the hurricane in Nelson County remain unidentified, as well as one in Albemarle County. Avalanches occurred on hillsides with a slope greater than 35 percent. In Nelson County, the number of deaths amounted to over one percent of the county's population. The worst of the damage was reported in Massies Mill, Woods Mill, Roseland, Bryant, Tyro, Montebello, Lovingston, Norwood, Rockfish, and along the Davis and Muddy creeks. The James and Tye rivers crested well above flood stage in many areas, including a record high of 41.3 feet at Columbia. Hurricane Camille caused more than $140 million of damage (1969 dollars) in Virginia. Camille was considered one of the worst natural disasters in central Virginia's recorded history.

Flooding damage at Howardsville, Virginia; the bridge formerly carried Virginia Route 626 over the Rockfish River.

The storm dropped torrential rainfall of 12 to 20 inches , with a maximum of 27 inches. Most of the rainfall occurred in Virginia during a 3–5 hour period on August 19–20. More than five inches of rain fell near the North Fork of the Tye River in only half an hour with the grounds already saturated from previous rains. Many rivers flooded across the state, with the worst being the James River in Richmond with a peak crest of 28.6 feet. Many rivers in Virginia and West Virginia set records for peak flood stages, causing numerous mudslides along mountainsides. In the mountain slopes between Charlottesville and Lynchburg, more than 26 inches of rain fell in 12 hours, but the worst was in Nelson County where 27 inches fell. There, the rainfall was so heavy that reports were received of birds drowning in trees, cows floating down the Hatt Creek and of survivors having to cup hands around their mouth and nose in order to breathe through the deluge. Though the official rainfall was recorded as 27 inches, unofficial estimates are much greater. Some estimate that more than 40 inches of rain fell at Davis Creek. Most gauges were washed away; however, it was reported that an empty 55-gallon drum that was not even in the center of the heaviest rainfall had 31 inches of water in it after Camille passed. "So much rain fell in such a short time in Nelson County that, according to the National Weather Service at the time, it was 'the probable maximum rainfall which meteorologists compute to be theoretically possible.'"

The ensuing flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people. In Nelson County alone, 133 bridges washed out, while in some places entire communities were under water.

The major flooding that occurred downstream cut off all communication between Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley. Waynesboro on the South River saw eight feet of water downtown, and Buena Vista had more than five feet.

Throughout Virginia, Camille destroyed 313 houses, 71 trailers, and 430 farm buildings. 3,765 families were affected by the hurricane in the area, and total damage in the state amounted to $140.8 million (1969 USD, $747 million 2005 USD)

1. Hurricane Isabel (2003)

The storm surge assailed much of southeastern Virginia causing the worst flooding seen in the area since the 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane, peaking at an estimated 9 feet in Richmond along the James River. The surge caused significant damage to homes along river ways, especially along the middle reaches of the James River basin. The strong storm surge surpassed the floodgate to the Midtown Tunnel while workers attempted to close the gate; about 44 million US gallons  of water flooded the tunnel entirely in just 40 minutes, with the workers barely able to escape. The damage to the electrical grid and flooding kept Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, The College of William & Mary and many of the region's other major educational institutions closed for almost a week. Further inland, heavy rainfall was reported, peaking at 20.2 inches in Sherando, Virginia, causing damage and severe flash flooding. Winds from the hurricane destroyed over 1,000 houses and damaged 9,000 more; damage in the state totaled over $1.85 billion (2003 USD), among the costliest tropical cyclones in Virginia history. The passage of Isabel also resulted in 32 deaths in the state, 10 directly from the storm's effects and 22 indirectly related.

Isabel kept NBC12 on-air for 24 hours, helping central Virginians navigate the deadly storm. This hurricane left over 2 million without power, took down thousands of trees and triggered deadly flash flooding. Isabel created over $1 billion in damage- making Isabel Virginia’s costliest natural disaster.