Bristol (city), Virginia
City storm and disaster record · FIPS 51520 · population 17,217 · 13 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 82 records for Bristol (city), Virginia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 73 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (39 records). The most damaging was the January 24, 2026 winter storm ($200,000 in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 13 declarations naming the county since 1993, 11 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 23, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 82on 73 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $705Kas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest F0
- FEMA declarations
- 13latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Bristol (city) most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 39 since 1980. 46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1980 fell in May and June. Census land area gives no figure for Bristol (city) under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 39 | 33 | 1980-2021 | 0 | 0 | $411K | – |
| Winter storms | 17 | 17 | 2024-2026 | 0 | 0 | $200K | – |
| Hail | 14 | 12 | 1999-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Floods | 9 | 9 | 2001-2025 | 0 | 0 | $80K | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 2 | 2 | 2024-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 1974-1974 | 0 | 0 | $15K | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Bristol (city) had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in Bristol (city) from 1974 to 1974, the strongest rated F0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 1 tornado whose track touched Bristol (city) since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Virginia.
Every tornado record filed for Bristol (city) (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-04 | Bristol (city) | F0 4.3 mi x 2,500 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Bristol (city)?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 24, 2026 winter storm ($200,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-04 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Heavy SnowWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | $200K | |
| 2025-12-11 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-08 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-10 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-30 | Flash FloodBristol (city) | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-19 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-11 | Heavy SnowWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-01 | FloodBristol (city) | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | $200K | |
| 2004-05-26 | Thunderstorm WindBristol (city) | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $39K |
| 2006-04-25 | Thunderstorm WindBristol (city) | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $29K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $3K, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 4, 1974 (tornado, Bristol (city)).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Bristol (city)'s most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 14 | 1 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1980 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 9 · Feb 6 · Mar 2 · Apr 7 · May 14 · Jun 10 · Jul 13 · Aug 12 · Sep 4 · Oct 0 · Nov 2 · Dec 3 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Bristol (city)
FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Bristol (city): 6 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (4) and snowstorm (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-23 | EM-3631 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2025-04-04 | DR-4863 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2024-10-01 | DR-4831 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Helene |
| 2024-09-29 | EM-3621 | Tropical Storm | Post-Tropical Cyclone Helene |
| 2020-04-02 | DR-4512 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3448 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-10-15 | DR-4401 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2018-09-11 | EM-3403 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2012-10-29 | EM-3359 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2005-09-12 | EM-3240 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1086 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1994-03-10 | DR-1014 | Snowstorm | Severe Ice Storms, Flooding |
| 1993-03-25 | EM-3112 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Bristol (city) had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 9 flood or flash flood records for Bristol (city) from 2001 to 2025, on 9 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bristol (city) ranks 2020th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $128,000 on 24 claims filed in Bristol (city); the most in one year was 4 in 2018. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1980: 3 · 1982: 3 · 1983: 1 · 1984: 3 · 1994: 1 · 1998: 2 · 2001: 1 · 2009: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2021: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Bristol (city)
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bristol (city) Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.9 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $296K | once in about 499 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $284K | 3.3 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $92K | 49 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $245K | 2.3 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $643 | once in about 31 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $12K | once in about 77 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $1.8M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | $12K | 13 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Bristol (city)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in VirginiaEvery Virginia tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in VirginiaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Virginia recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Bristol (city)The hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Bristol (city)'s FEMA declarations (CSV)13 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis