FEMA declarations
77
Above median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Virginia Natural Disasters
Virginia's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 77 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by severe storm, with $853.7M in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 23,584 recorded weather events resulting in 69 fatalities, a toll that informs where the state directs disaster-preparedness resources.
- 77
- FEMA declarations
- 23,584
- NOAA storm events
- 69
- Storm fatalities
- $853.7M
- Property + crop damage
The Virginia risk picture
1 of Virginia's 133 counties and county-equivalents, 1%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Virginia has 58 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 242 injuries statewide.
- 1%
- of counties and county-equivalents rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 77
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $853.7M
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 50,004
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
75%
Mostly major
NOAA storm events
23,584
Observed severe-weather records
How does Virginia compare?
Virginia vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
77 Top 49% higher than 51% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
Virginia sits at the 47th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 91st percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes Virginia's record?
FEMA declaration types in Virginia
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Severe Storm
Severe Storm
20 declarations
- Hurricane
Hurricane
16 declarations
- Flood
Flood
16 declarations
- Fire
Fire
8 declarations
- Snowstorm 6
Snowstorm
6 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
- Drought 2
Drought
2 declarations
- Tropical Storm 2
Tropical Storm
2 declarations
What this shows Severe Storm leads Virginia's FEMA declaration mix with 20 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year
Reported severe-weather events in Virginia, 2015–2025 catalog window.
Peak year in this series: 2018 (3,085 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
73 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Virginia · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate
13/30
77 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.9x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Very High
25/25
23584 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (2.1x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) High
15/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (1.5x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
13 different disaster types declared in Virginia
What does Virginia's hazard record show?
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 131Virginia counties have filed 50,004 NFIP claims totaling $763.3M, or an average of $15.3K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Riverine Flooding, estimated at $1.1B annually. Drill into individual counties and county-equivalents for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Virginia recorded 23,584 individual storm events, causing 69 fatalities and 242 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $853.7M. The most frequent event types in the state are Thunderstorm Wind (8,940 events), Flood (2,300 events), Winter Weather (2,049 events). Across the state's 133 analyzed counties and county-equivalents, FEMA's own National Risk Index flags 1 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 33.3/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
FEMA disaster declarations
Virginia (VA) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 77 FEMA declaration records, including 58 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Severe Storm, followed by Hurricane (16), Flood (16), Fire (8). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Disaster Types in Virginia
Severe Storm 20
Hurricane 16
Flood 16
Fire 8
Snowstorm 6
Biological 2
Drought 2
Tropical Storm 2
Freezing 1
Winter Storm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
Earthquake 1
Terrorist 1
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Virginia (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,940 | 13 | 31 | $123.1M |
| Flood | 2,300 | 4 | 0 | $85.1M |
| Winter Weather | 2,049 | 6 | 32 | $902.0K |
| Flash Flood | 1,942 | 13 | 4 | $244.2M |
| Heavy Rain | 1,566 | 0 | 0 | $2.5M |
| Winter Storm | 1,366 | 5 | 6 | $2.5M |
| Hail | 1,329 | 1 | 5 | $1.3M |
| Dense Fog | 885 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| High Wind | 557 | 4 | 62 | $70.7M |
| Frost/Freeze | 539 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Heat | 303 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Heavy Snow | 287 | 0 | 0 | $81.0K |
| Coastal Flood | 266 | 1 | 0 | $2.9M |
| Tornado | 182 | 5 | 67 | $113.0M |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 179 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Strong Wind | 175 | 2 | 4 | $2.0M |
| Lightning | 146 | 6 | 29 | $3.6M |
| Excessive Heat | 145 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Tropical Storm | 90 | 0 | 0 | $4.2M |
| Drought | 88 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,632 | 7 | 6 | $24.8M |
| 2024 | 1,812 | 7 | 16 | $227.2M |
| 2023 | 1,508 | 3 | 3 | $53.8M |
| 2022 | 2,017 | 3 | 11 | $69.5M |
| 2021 | 2,301 | 3 | 15 | $15.4M |
| 2020 | 2,368 | 1 | 14 | $41.3M |
| 2019 | 2,396 | 8 | 39 | $7.1M |
| 2018 | 3,085 | 17 | 20 | $93.6M |
| 2017 | 1,544 | 4 | 7 | $13.8M |
| 2016 | 2,235 | 13 | 108 | $94.5M |
| 2015 | 1,686 | 3 | 3 | $19.0M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 77 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 77 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
77 unique disaster declarations in Virginia.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3631 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Winter Storm | 2026-01-23 |
| 4863 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-04-04 |
| 4831 | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR | Tropical Storm | 2024-10-01 |
| 3621 | POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE HELENE | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-09-29 |
| 4674 | FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-09-30 |
| 4644 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-03-11 |
| 4628 | FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2021-10-26 |
| 4602 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-05-10 |
| 4512 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-02 |
| 3448 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4411 | TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL | DR | Hurricane | 2018-12-18 |
| 4401 | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR | Hurricane | 2018-10-15 |
| 3403 | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM | Hurricane | 2018-09-11 |
| 4291 | HURRICANE MATTHEW | DR | Hurricane | 2016-11-02 |
| 4262 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2016-03-07 |
| 4092 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-11-26 |
| 3359 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-29 |
| 4072 | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-07-27 |
| 4045 | THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM LEE | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-11-17 |
| 4042 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2011-11-04 |
| 4024 | HURRICANE IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-03 |
| 3329 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-26 |
| 2861 | COFFMAN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-02-20 |
| 2860 | SMITH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-02-20 |
| 1905 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORMS | DR | Snowstorm | 2010-04-27 |
| 1874 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2010-02-16 |
| 1862 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IDA AND A NOR'EAST | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-12-09 |
| 1661 | TROPICAL DEPRESSION ERNESTO, SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-09-22 |
| 1655 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-07-13 |
| 2637 | BULL MOUNTAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-04-15 |
| 3240 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-12 |
| 1570 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING FROM THE REMANANTS OF HURRICANE JEANNE | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-10-18 |
| 1544 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND TORNADOES ASSOCIATED W TD GASTON | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-09-03 |
| 1525 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-06-15 |
| 1502 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-12-09 |
| 1491 | HURRICANE ISABEL | DR | Hurricane | 2003-09-18 |
| 1458 | SEVERE WINTER STORM, RECORD/NEAR RECORD SNOWFALL, HEAVY RAIN,FLOODIND, AND MUDSLIDE | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-03-27 |
| 1411 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-05-05 |
| 1406 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-04-02 |
| 2397 | VA - FULTZ RUN FIRE - 02-28-2002 | FM | Fire | 2002-02-28 |
| 2394 | VA - HEARD MOUNTAIN FIRE COMPLEX - 11/20/2001 | FM | Fire | 2001-11-20 |
| 2393 | VA - SHENANDOAH GAP FIRE COMPLEX - 11/20/01 | FM | Fire | 2001-11-20 |
| 2390 | VA - FAR SOUTHWEST FIRE COMPLEX - 11/16/2001 | FM | Fire | 2001-11-16 |
| 1392 | FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS | DR | Terrorist | 2001-09-21 |
| 3168 | FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS | EM | Fire | 2001-09-12 |
| 1386 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-07-12 |
| 1318 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-02-28 |
| 1293 | HURRICANE FLOYD MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS | DR | Hurricane | 1999-09-18 |
| 3147 | HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS | EM | Hurricane | 1999-09-16 |
| 1290 | VIRGINIA TROPICAL STORM DENNIS 08/27/99 | DR | Hurricane | 1999-09-06 |
Showing 50 of 77 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Virginia counties and county-equivalents based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
33.3/100
High Risk Areas
1
of 133 counties and county-equivalents
Top Hazard by EAL
Riverine Flooding
$1.1B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Riverine Flooding
$1.1B EAL
#2
Hurricane
$212.3M EAL
#3
Earthquake
$99.6M EAL
#4
Tornado
$84.6M EAL
#5
Heat Wave
$84.1M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across Virginia from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
50,004
Total Paid
$763.3M
Avg Per Claim
$15.3K
Counties With Claims
131
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties and county-equivalents in Virginia
134 counties and county-equivalents with FEMA disaster data.
Highest-risk counties and county-equivalents by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in Virginia are Fairfax (94.7), Chesterfield (84.8), Henrico (83.4), Prince William (83.2), Norfolk (81.2). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 134 counties and county-equivalents in Virginia are listed above.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Virginia?
Virginia is affected by severe storm, hurricane, flood, fire. The state's leading disaster type is Severe Storm, based on 77 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Virginia had?
Virginia has received 77 FEMA disaster declarations, including 58 major disaster declarations. The declaration history covers several disaster types, including Severe Storm (20), Hurricane (16), Flood (16).
What severe weather events are most common in Virginia?
The most common severe weather events in Virginia include thunderstorm wind (8,940 events), flood (2,300 events), winter weather (2,049 events). Over that 2015-2025 NOAA record, these events resulted in 69 fatalities and $853.7M in property and crop damage.
How active is Virginia's federal disaster declaration record?
Virginia has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 77 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 69 fatalities and 242 injuries. NOAA property and crop damage records total $853.7M.
How many flood insurance claims has Virginia had?
Virginia has 50,004 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $763.3M total paid out. Per-claim payments average $15.3K, with 131 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties and county-equivalents in Virginia have the most disaster declarations?
Among 134 counties and county-equivalents in Virginia, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Bedford (28 declarations), Nelson (28 declarations), King George (27 declarations). County-level records show where federal declarations have concentrated across the state.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Virginia
Bedford alone accounts for 36% of Virginia's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 134 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Bedford and Nelson carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Virginia ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.