High Wind — Virginia Beach, Virginia

2025-09-15 to 2025-09-16 · Virginia Beach, Virginia

Event narrative

Increasingly gusty winds developed as a compact, but deepening, low pressure system approached the Virginia coast on September 15 into 16. A brief period of wind gusts to around 45 mph occurred along the immediate Virginia Beach coast in the afternoon of September 15. Winds then occasionally gusted over 45 mph starting in the morning hours of September 16, with frequent gusts over 45 mph in the afternoon and evening. Peak observed wind gusts included a 60 mph (52 knot) gust at the Cape Henry (XHEN) mesonet station and a 55 mph (48 knot) gust a few miles inland at the Oceana Naval Air Station (KNTU) AWOS station. Winds quickly decreased later in the evening and especially overnight.

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure brought gusty winds to coastal portions of southeast Virginia and the Virginia Eastern Shore September 15 into 16. On September 15, the low pressure system was located offshore and southeast of the area, with brief gusty winds to around 45 mph along the immediate coast in the afternoon due to a tightening pressure gradient. Wind gusts dropped below 40 mph from the evening into the early morning hours of September 16. However, winds increased substantially and peaked in the afternoon and evening hours of September 16 as the low tracked northwest into the lower Chesapeake Bay and eventually moved inland. Widespread wind gusts of 40-50 mph were observed along the Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Eastern Shore coasts, with peak wind gusts to around 60 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1295022. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.