Virginia landslides and avalanches
Every recorded landslide or avalanche record since 1996 · 17 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 34 landslide and avalanche records in Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 3.0 a year since 2000. The costliest was the May 24, 2020 debris flow ($570,000 in 2025 dollars). Virginia ranks 15th of 37 states and territories by count and 13th of 37 per square mile.
Landslides and avalanches in Virginia, 1996 to 2026
Landslide 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
- 341996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 3.0average
- Deaths
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.1Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 20209 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 landslide and avalanche records common in Virginia?
Virginia averages about 3.0 landslide and avalanche records a year since 2000, 15th of 37 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2020 (9). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Virginia records 8.6 landslide and avalanche records since 1996, 13th of 37 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 landslide and avalanche records?
Per square mile, Tazewell County leads Virginia: 6 days with a landslide or avalanche record since 1996, 11.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Tazewell County has the most landslide records (7 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 slide season in Virginia?
Virginia's landslide and avalanche records by month. The busiest month is July (9 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 3 · Mar 2 · Apr 2 · May 6 · Jun 2 · Jul 9 · Aug 4 · Sep 3 · Oct 2 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
The costliest landslide and avalanche records in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-05-24 | Debris FlowPhilpott, Henry County | 0 | 0 | $570K | |
| 1998-03-22 | Debris FlowKing George County · forecast zone King George | 0 | 0 | $272K | |
| 2025-07-30 | Debris FlowLurich, Giles County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-05-13 | Debris FlowMountain Lake, Giles County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-02-16 | AvalancheWythe County · forecast zone Wythe | 0 | 0 | $4K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are landslide and avalanche 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 | 1 | 98 | 1.0% |
| 2000s | 3 | 790 | 0.4% |
| 2010s | 9 | 1,304 | 0.7% |
| 2020-26 | 21 | 1,224 | 1.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent landslide and avalanche records in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-30 | Debris FlowLurich, Giles County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-06-27 | Debris FlowBarnett, Russell County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-13 | Debris FlowMountain Lake, Giles County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-02-16 | AvalancheWythe County · forecast zone Wythe | 0 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2020-05-24 | Debris FlowPhilpott, Henry County | 0 | 0 | $570K | |
| 1998-03-22 | Debris FlowKing George County · forecast zone King George | 0 | 0 | $272K |
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.
Federal disaster declarations for landslide and avalanche records in Virginia
FEMA has declared 4 disasters in Virginia for landslide and avalanche, counting its incident type and declarations that name landslide or mudslide in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 4 were major disasters, the latest on September 30, 2022.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-30 | DR-4674 | Flooding and Mudslides | 2 |
| 2021-10-26 | DR-4628 | Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 1 |
| 2003-03-27 | DR-1458 | Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,Floodind, and Mudslide | 39 |
| 1989-11-08 | DR-847 | Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Tazewell County: the county's whole recordThe Virginia county with the most landslide and avalanche records per square mile
- Landslides and avalanches across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in VirginiaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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