Charlottesville (city), Virginia
City storm and disaster record · FIPS 51540 · population 46,443 · 10 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 99 records for Charlottesville (city), Virginia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 90 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (49 records). The most damaging was the May 13, 2000 tornado ($857,000 in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 13 declarations naming the county since 1972, 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
- 99on 90 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 05 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.3Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest F1
- 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 Charlottesville (city) most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 49 since 1983. 47% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1983 fell in June and July. Census land area gives no figure for Charlottesville (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 | 49 | 47 | 1983-2025 | 0 | 4 | $470K | – |
| Winter storms | 15 | 14 | 2024-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Floods | 14 | 13 | 1998-2025 | 0 | 0 | $7K | – |
| Hail | 10 | 9 | 1977-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 5 | 2000-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 4 | 2025-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2005-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 1 | $857K | – |
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 Charlottesville (city) had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in Charlottesville (city) from 2000 to 2000, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 1 injury 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 Charlottesville (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 Charlottesville (city) (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-13 | Charlottesville (city) | F1 4 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $857K |
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 Charlottesville (city)?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 13, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($6,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Cold/Wind ChillCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Cold/Wind ChillCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-08 | Winter WeatherCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-05 | Winter WeatherCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-02 | Winter WeatherCharlottesville (city) · forecast zone Albemarle | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-13 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2025-07-09 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2025-05-15 | Flash FloodCharlottesville (city) | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-15 | Flash FloodCharlottesville (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) Trees were downed. One person was injured when a tree fell onto a car on Old Ivy Road. Two others were seriously injured when a tree fell onto a car on Sherwood Rd. | 0 | 3 | $30K | |
| 2011-04-26 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) A pine tree fell down onto an automobile along Vine Street. There was one injury reported. | 52 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $7K |
| 2000-05-13 | TornadoCharlottesville (city) The tornado moved across the northern portion of the city and damaged several trees and structures and injured 1 person. | F1 4 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $857K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-13 | TornadoCharlottesville (city) | F1 4 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $857K |
| 2002-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) | 0 | 3 | $30K | |
| 2011-04-26 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) | 52 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $7K |
| 2025-08-13 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2025-07-09 | Thunderstorm WindCharlottesville (city) | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
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 Charlottesville (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 | 1 | 8 | 21 | 14 | 5 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
47% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1983 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 6 · Feb 10 · Mar 6 · Apr 7 · May 12 · Jun 19 · Jul 14 · Aug 14 · Sep 5 · Oct 1 · Nov 2 · Dec 3 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Charlottesville (city)
FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Charlottesville (city): 7 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (5) and snowstorm (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-23 | EM-3631 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-04-02 | DR-4512 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3448 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-09-11 | EM-3403 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2012-10-29 | EM-3359 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-07-27 | DR-4072 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2010-02-16 | DR-1874 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2005-09-12 | EM-3240 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-09-18 | DR-1491 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel |
| 1996-09-06 | DR-1135 | Hurricane | Hurricane Fran and Associated Severe Storm Cond |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1086 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1993-03-25 | EM-3112 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 1972-06-23 | DR-339 | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes |
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 Charlottesville (city) had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 14 flood or flash flood records for Charlottesville (city) from 1998 to 2025, on 13 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Charlottesville (city) ranks 1723rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $287,000 on 44 claims filed in Charlottesville (city); the most in one year was 10 in 1979. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 10 · 1987: 8 · 1989: 2 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 4 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 2 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2018: 8 · 2024: 2; 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 Charlottesville (city)
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Charlottesville (city) Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $1.9M | 2.9 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.0M | once in about 556 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $685K | once in about 14 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $857K | 3.9 modeled event-days a year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $287K | 41 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $41K | 9.3 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $4.7M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Very Low | $118K | 2.4 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 Charlottesville (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 Charlottesville (city)The hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Charlottesville (city)'s FEMA declarations (CSV)13 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis