Virginia high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 125 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,211 high wind and dust records in Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 77 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Tropical Storm Helene (September 27, 2024): 3 deaths, 5 injuries and $161 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 10 records. Virginia ranks 23rd of 52 states and territories by count and 19th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in Virginia, 1996 to 2026
Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 2,2111996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 77average
- Deaths
- 20198 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $295Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2003206 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are high wind and dust records common in Virginia?
Virginia averages about 77 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 23rd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2003 (206). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Virginia records 560 high wind and dust records since 1996, 19th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Virginia have the most high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Roanoke County leads Virginia: 75 days with a high wind record since 1996, 299.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Grayson County has the most wind records (96 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the windy season in Virginia?
Virginia's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is February (510 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 262 · Feb 510 · Mar 332 · Apr 234 · May 34 · Jun 22 · Jul 3 · Aug 17 · Sep 162 · Oct 193 · Nov 128 · Dec 314 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Virginia?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical Storm Helene · High WindGrayson County · forecast zone Grayson One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning, weakening as it moved over land. Helene’s ... | 56 kt wind | 3 | 5 | $161M |
| 2006-09-01 | High WindGloucester County · forecast zone Gloucester One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. The remnants of Ernesto along the Mid Atlantic coast combined with strong high pressure over New England produced very strong winds across eastern and southeast Virginia. Sustained winds in mph ranged from the lower 40s to near 60 with maximum gusts ranging from the mid 50s to as high as the mid 70s. Some higher ... | 35 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $38M |
| 2026-06-12 | Strong WindBedford County · forecast zone Bedford One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A cold front moved slowly southward through the Mid-Atlantic, triggering scattered thunderstorms with heavy rainfall rates and severe weather. While shear was not very high (<30 knots), the atmosphere was considerably unstable with SBCAPE values of at least 2000 J/kg. Low level lapse rates and mid-level lapse rates ... | 43 kt wind | 1 | 22 | $26K |
| 2018-03-02 | High WindJames City County · forecast zone James City One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Intense low pressure spinning off the southern New England coast produced very strong northerly winds across portions of central and eastern Virginia. The very strong winds downed numerous trees, produced structural damage, and caused power outages. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 3 | $65K |
| 2000-05-29 | High WindIsle of Wight County · forecast zone Isle Of Wight A powerful storm system off the North Carolina and Virginia coast produced high winds and waves over the James River. One man was killed and three others were treated for hypothermia from the still-cold water when their 16 foot fishing boat capsized in the James River. Effects from the high winds did not extend very ... | 40 kt wind | 1 | 3 | – |
| 2011-04-16 | Strong WindWythe County · forecast zone Wythe Strong winds combined with saturated soil to topple a tree in Wytheville. this tree fell on a mobile home killing one women and severely injuring another. | 35 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $3K |
| 2011-02-19 | Strong WindWilliamsburg (city) · forecast zone James City Strong gradient wind caused a tree to be blown down across the Colonial Parkway in Jamestown. The falling tree struck a vehicle and killed the woman passenger of the vehicle. | 40 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $7K |
| 2007-02-14 | Strong WindLoudoun County · forecast zone Loudoun The Washington Post reported that a 15 year old girl in Bluemont, VA., was killed when a strong wind gust sent portions of a large old tree fell. Wind gusts around the region ranged from 20 to 25 mph with gusts as high as 35 mph. | 30 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 1999-09-15 | High WindHalifax County · forecast zone Halifax High winds from the remnants of Hurricane Floyd on the evening of the 15th and the 16th, downed trees and powerlines. One tree was toppled onto a mobile home in Paces, killing a women and injuring a two week old infant. | 1 | 1 | $44K | |
| 2000-05-29 | High WindPrince George County and Petersburg (city) · forecast zone Prince George / Hopewell A powerful storm system off the Virginia and North Carolina coast produced high winds and waves over the James River. One man drowned and another man was injured when their 17 foot fishing boat capsized on the James River east of Hopewell due to the weather. Little effects from the wind were experienced inland. | 40 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest high wind and dust records in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical Storm Helene · High WindGrayson County · forecast zone Grayson One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. | 56 kt wind | 3 | 5 | $161M |
| 2003-09-18 | Hurricane Isabel · High WindSpotsylvania County · forecast zone Spotsylvania One storm episode: 16 records in 16 places; the totals are the episode's. | 50 kt wind | 0 | 70 | $39M |
| 2006-09-01 | High WindGloucester County · forecast zone Gloucester One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. | 35 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $38M |
| 1996-09-06 | High WindShenandoah County · forecast zone Shenandoah One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindArlington County and 3 more · forecast zone Arlington One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 53 kt wind | 0 | 6 | $9.1M |
| 1996-09-05 | High WindPittsylvania County · forecast zone Pittsylvania One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2003-11-13 | Strong WindFairfax County · forecast zone Fairfax One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 43 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $1.6M |
| 2009-12-09 | High WindWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Virginia?
Virginia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Virginia | United States | Virginia's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 191 | 14,026 | 1.4% |
| 2000s | 987 | 37,254 | 2.6% |
| 2010s | 676 | 41,748 | 1.6% |
| 2020-26 | 357 | 36,300 | 1.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Strong WindWythe County · forecast zone Wythe | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10 |
| 2026-06-14 | Strong WindHalifax County · forecast zone Halifax | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $750 |
| 2026-06-12 | Strong WindBedford County · forecast zone Bedford | 43 kt wind | 1 | 22 | $15K |
| 2026-06-12 | Strong WindRoanoke County and 2 more · forecast zone Roanoke | 49 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-12 | Strong WindFranklin County · forecast zone Franklin | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $11K |
| 2026-02-07 | High WindVirginia Beach (city) · forecast zone Virginia Beach | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-07 | High WindAccomack County · forecast zone Accomack | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-07 | High WindGreene County and 5 more · forecast zone Northern Virginia Blue Ridge | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-07 | High WindArlington County and 2 more · forecast zone Arlington | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-01 | High WindHampton (city) · forecast zone Hampton/Poquoson | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-01 | High WindVirginia Beach (city) · forecast zone Virginia Beach | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-01 | High WindNorfolk (city) and Portsmouth (city) · forecast zone Norfolk | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
- Roanoke County: the county's whole recordThe Virginia county with the most high wind and dust records per square mile
- High wind and dust storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
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