Radford (city), Virginia
City storm and disaster record · FIPS 51750 · population 16,070 · 10 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 63 records for Radford (city), Virginia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 57 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (25 records). The most damaging was the January 31, 2013 flood ($950,000 in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 17 declarations naming the county since 1972, 15 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
- 63on 57 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.8Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 17latest 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 Radford (city) most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 25 since 2000. 52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 2000 fell in June and July. Census land area gives no figure for Radford (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 | 25 | 24 | 2000-2024 | 0 | 0 | $122K | – |
| Hail | 15 | 14 | 1998-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Floods | 11 | 11 | 2013-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | – |
| Winter storms | 5 | 5 | 2025-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Drought | 3 | 3 | 2026-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 3 | 3 | 2024-2025 | 0 | 0 | $623K | – |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2012-2012 | 0 | 0 | $1K | – |
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.
When was the last damaging storm in Radford (city)?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 5, 2025 high wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | DroughtPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Winter StormPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-30 | FloodRadford (city) | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-05 | High WindPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2025-02-16 | High WindPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-02-11 | Winter StormPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-05 | Winter StormPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-03 | Winter WeatherPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-09-27 | High WindPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $602K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-01-31 | FloodRadford (city) | 0 | 0 | $950K | |
| 2024-09-27 | High WindPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $602K |
| 2025-03-05 | High WindPulaski County and Radford (city) · forecast zone Pulaski | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
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 Radford (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 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 2000 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 5 · Feb 4 · Mar 1 · Apr 5 · May 13 · Jun 9 · Jul 9 · Aug 9 · Sep 4 · Oct 3 · Nov 1 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Radford (city)
FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Radford (city): 10 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for snowstorm (4) and hurricane (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-23 | EM-3631 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 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 |
| 2018-09-11 | 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 |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1086 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1994-04-11 | DR-1021 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Ice Storm |
| 1994-03-10 | DR-1014 | Snowstorm | Severe Ice Storms, Flooding |
| 1993-03-25 | EM-3112 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 1992-05-19 | DR-944 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1977-11-12 | DR-543 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 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 Radford (city) had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 11 flood or flash flood records for Radford (city) from 2013 to 2025, on 11 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Radford (city) ranks 2523rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $493,000 on 6 claims filed in Radford (city); the most in one year was 3 in 2024. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1985: 1 · 1995: 1 · 2024: 3; 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 Radford (city)
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Radford (city) Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $389K | 3.9 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $182K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $221K | once in about 673 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $451 | once in about 47 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $14K | once in about 87 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | $22K | 11 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Very Low | $49K | 43 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $1.6M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Radford (city)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- 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 Radford (city)The hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Radford (city)'s FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis